For those who insist on laying blame ...

It's really too soon to be establishing "blame" for Katrina, but that isn't stopping a lot of people from trying. Unfortunately the MSM (that's MainStream Media for those who are unfamiliar with Blogospeak) is anxious for this game to be played, so it is incumbent on the rest of us to set the record straight.

Thus far the Roll Call of Dishonor would have to feature the following:

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin -- Has pointed the Finger of Blame for everything that has gone wrong at everyone except himself. Meanwhile he has presided over a local effort that has seen a corrupt New Orleans Police Force terrorize the living daylights out of refugees, first responders, National Guard members and the stubborn remnant of the French Quarter who refused to leave their dry lodgings. Now Mayor Nagin is rewarding his cops with taxpayer-funded vacations to Las Vegas. No kidding!

Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco -- Has wrung her hands and pointed the Finger of Blame both at Mayor Nagin and at everyone else. Not identified, of course, is her own role in a) never getting around to ordering school buses to help with the mandatory evacuations until three days after Katrina hit, b) refusing even at this late date to transfer National Guard to federal control (is it any wonder there were command-and-control issues), and c) just being a poor role model with her public vacillations.

FEMA Director Michael Brown -- Has proven himself so inept that it requires special assistance to even document it, and thus we thank Michele Malkin for doing just that. Some excerpts:

- He admitted that he didn't act more aggressively because as late as last Sunday he expected Katrina to be a "standard hurricane" even though the National Weather Service in New Orleans was already predicting "human suffering incredible by modern standards."

- He proved himself utterly clueless about the disaster unfolding in New Orleans. He claimed that the federal relief effort was "going relatively well" and that the security situation in New Orleans was "pretty darn good."

- He blamed the flood victims in New Orleans for failing to evacuate on time, even though local authorities failed to make municipal vehicles available to residents who could not drive or did not own their own cars.

But wait, there's more:

Although the delay was not entirely the fault of the Bush Administration, Brown's complacency clearly didn't help. And his bumbling statements after the hurricane struck have not inspired confidence.

This is not the time to give a weak performer the benefit of the doubt. The FEMA director's role in the ongoing recovery effort is too important to be entrusted to a clueless political hack with such poor judgment.

Rather than praise Michael Brown, Bush should fire him.

Amen!

U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton -- With her credentials as a senator from New York (where 9/11 happened, you know) she now claims to be a "Master of Disaster," and in her glorious infallible wisdom has called for a "Katrina Commission" just like that wonderful "9/11 Commission." It's never too early to start playing the political blame game when you're the MSM's favored frontrunner for the Democrat's 2008 presidential nomination.

To one and all: You are absolutely disgraceful. There are still lives in the balance. There are so many helpful things you could do. But Jesus said it best:

"Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?" (Matthew 7:16, KJV)

Amen to that, too.