After the hurricane, blowhards

Fretters

“This whole situation is totally overwhelming.”

-- Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco

“I don’t know whose problem it is. I don’t know whether it’s the governor’s problem. I don’t know whether it’s the president’s problem.”

-- New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin

*

Uniters

“It is a source of tremendous pride to me to work with people who have pulled off this really exceptional response.”

-- Homeland Security Secretary

Michael Chertoff

“I’m not going to be critical of what the federal government has done. We’re very grateful for it. You know, it’s easy to go back and pick the bones, but we feel like they have tried very hard.”

-- Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour

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Scolds

“Washington rolled the dice, and Louisiana lost.”

-- Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.)

“Bureaucracy has committed murder here in the greater New Orleans area, and bureaucracy has to stand trial before Congress now.”

-- Jefferson Parish President

Aaron Broussard

“Oblivious, in denial, dangerous.”

-- Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)

after meeting with President Bush

“The emergency response system was set up to work from the bottom up.”

-- Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas)

“FEMA has been completely dysfunctional and is completely overwhelmed.”

-- Sen. David Vitter (R-La.)

“Everyone in the country needs to take a big collective breath.”

-- FEMA Director Michael D. Brown