Katrina Response As A Huge Success

"What looked like a hurricane relief breakdown
was in fact a press release breakdown."

That's the summary of a comprehensive analysis of Katrina response by Lou Dolinar, a guy who's got the right perspective: former fire fighter and journalist, at Real Clear Politics.

Dolinar's point is that the real rescue effort was immediate, opportunistic and not seen by representatives of the media intent on reporting on the SuperDome situation, and reliant on press conferences and media opportunities.

Had they looked up at the 113 helicopters from various Armed Forces branches, and out at the 100 to 200 boats working rescue missions after the levee failure -- all working efficiently without any central command structure -- they would have seen the real story of America's ability to respond to emergencies.

Dolinar can display a dry wit that's effective in making his point:

More died at the Superdome after the Governor decided on a Pol Pot solution for evacuation of the city, e.g. Starve the city dwellers to force them into the countryside.

h/t Betsy