Sep. 4th Washington Post article on the events which led to federal aid being withheld in New Orleans. The administration wanted total control of the city, including the multibillion dollar rebuilding efforts, before they would render aid. The word murder is being used. I am agape. A lot of people are wondering why troops arrived so late, why supplies were delayed, why rescuers were blocked, and why FEMA actively sabotaged the rescue effort. The answer is that the Bush Administration essentially delivered an ultimatum to Lousiana Governor Kathleen Blanco: before they released the emergency supplies, they wanted her to sign the city of New Orleans over to the Federal government. — MeFi thread About the smartest thing Napoleon ever said was that one should never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence. In the case of this administration, though, I’m honestly torn between the two.