Lovely. In breaking news...

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WASHINGTON - House Speaker Dennis Hastert dropped a bombshell on flood-ravaged New Orleans on Thursday by suggesting that it isn’t sensible to rebuild the city.

"It doesn't make sense to me," Hastert told the Daily Herald in suburban Chicago in editions published today. "And it's a question that certainly we should ask."

Hastert's comments came as Congress cut short its summer recess and raced back to Washington to take up an emergency aid package expected to be $10 billion or more. Details of the legislation are still emerging, but it is expected to target critical items such as buses to evacuate the city, reinforcing existing flood protection and providing food and shelter for a growing population of refugees.

The Illinois Republican’s comments drew an immediate rebuke from Louisiana officials.

“That’s like saying we should shut down Los Angeles because it’s built in an earthquake zone,” former Sen. John Breaux, D-La., said. “Or like saying that after the Great Chicago fire of 1871, the U.S. government should have just abandoned the city.”

Hastert said that he supports an emergency bailout, but raised questions about a long-term rebuilding effort. As the most powerful voice in the Republican-controlled House, Hastert is in a position to block any legislation that he opposes.

"We help replace, we help relieve disaster," Hastert said. "But I think federal insurance and everything that goes along with it... we ought to take a second look at that."

The speaker’s comments were in stark contrast to those delivered by President Bush during an appearance this morning on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

“I want the people of New Orleans to know that after rescuing them and stabilizing the situation, there will be plans in place to help this great city get back on its feet,” Bush said. “There is no doubt in my mind that New Orleans is going to rise up again as a great city.”

possibly renting Say Anything on the way home.

Dennis, hon, I know it's your job to put your foot in your mouth, but generally speaking, it's not smart to just write off the 5th largest sea-port (in shipping volume) in the world.

Also, that's a lot of people who now, will never vote for you for president.

possibly renting Say Anything on the way home.

If only Lloyd Dobler was organizing these disaster relief efforts. The keymaster wouldn't let us down.

Per my annoying, but occasionally accurate sib who was there, they're part of it, but by no means all of it, because there were plenty of people in uniform who went more than a touch power-mad during that time and attacked the crowds unprovoked. As I recall, his recount mapped well enough to what I heard coming out of the local news (not the on air stuff, but reports from the station itself) that I believe it.

The anarchists prodded the police, and the police went bonkers and just started attacking everyone.

The National Guard was very professional during WTO, at least in my experience (my job was at 6th and Stewart). Idiot protestors would walk up and taunt them, and they'd do nothing but tell them to move along. The police, OTOH, were spoiling for a fight. You learned very quickly to give them a very, very wide berth.

If only Lloyd Dobler was organizing these disaster relief efforts. The keymaster wouldn't let us down.

"Mayor Nagin commended Dobler on the success of Operation Dude You Must Chill."

Off topic, but this is the best editorial I've read that argues against teaching "Intelligent Design" in school (and I've read a shit-load of them): [link]

By Richard Dawkins and Jerry Coyne in The Guardian.

Man, the Leif sized little boy on the CNN website is killing me.

I think it's fair to say that the federal govenment response has been inadequate and there should be a lot of reevaluation of disaster response after this.

This site has some before-and-after satellite photos of NO - you can toggle between them by mousing over....

[link]

Freaky.

The craigslist postings made me teary.

Also, I really don't understand where people are supposed to live. Because I heard a lot of this "it's your own damn fault for living there" after last year's hurricanes hit Florida. Is there some place in this country that's natural disaster free? (Clearly, it's not any of the places I've ever lived.)

Hell, if I were doing security for Britney freaking Spears, I'd see what I could do to have the person removed.

Would you really throw me out? I only wanted to tell her how much I LUUURVE her!