Ray Nagin: Mayor No Not Me

The best job goes to the person who can get it done without passing the buck or coming back with excuses. - Napoleon Hill

Well, it's official, the votes have been tallied and the results are in: New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin is an idiot. Mind you, I don't use the term "idiot" lightly, but every time I read another Ray Nagin quote I can't help but envision the dunce cap on his head getting taller. Yet the mayor's continued malfeasance regarding the response to Hurricane Katrina not only shows you that he hasn't learned anything in regards to accepting ANY kind of responsibility, but also reminds you that he's nothing more then just another politician:

From CNN.com -

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin says businesses in some parts of the city will reopen this weekend, and residents of the Algiers neighborhood will be welcomed back next week. Announcing the gradual return, officials also warned of remaining health threats.

New Orleans health director Kevin Stephens stressed warnings to returning residents about one key contaminant, the bacteria E coli.

The French Quarter is scheduled to be re-opened to residents on the Monday after next. Mayor Nagin said city officials are being especially cautious with the area because of its historic significance.

Earlier this week, Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco took responsibility for the lack of speedy state action in the Hurricane Katrina crisis. President Bush followed that up last week by taking responsibility for federal mistakes and slow action. But while a city lies in ruins and dead bodies continue to be found, the mayor is busy inviting everybody back home despite warnings from the head of the federal disaster relief team that the city just isn't near ready for habitants yet.

How does this guy do it? How is Ray Nagin able to escape blame despite his continued acts of complete and utter ineptitude in handling leadership? How is Ray Nagin excluded from the Liberal Blame Game despite the fact that even residents of N.O. are more upset with their mayor then anyone else for the response to Katrina? Could his race have something to do with it? Of course. Especially considering how much the liberal media has unashamedly played up the race card throughout this whole thing. Failure occurred at ALL levels, but thanks to liberals Ray Nagin may never have to face the music.

The same Ray Nagin who went on national TV crying while claiming that 10,000 dead bodies may be found (less then 1,000 have been found so far). The same Ray Nagin, mayor of a town where 400 buses lie underwater, 400 buses that could have been used to evacuate those in the Superdome prior to the disaster. Nagin was also made aware more than three days before landfall, but did not push for an evacuation until a day and a half before. Nagin also didn't push for total evacuation of those who did not have the resources to leave on their own.

And keep in mind that the federal authorities did not have the legal jurisdiction to force an evacuation. That power lay with the state and local authorities -- in other words, with Nagin and Blanco. The two of them clearly did not act in the best interest of their constituents, despite their statements to the contrary on television and in various media over the past week. But give Blanco some credit for finally taking herself to task, when will it be Ray Nagin's turn?