From Pat Buchanan:
Katrina has exposed the limits of federal power and the absence of a serious set of national priorities.
In New Orleans, those who relied on government – the New Orleans police, the mayor, Gov. Blanco, FEMA – suffered most. Those who relied on themselves for food, water and safety from marauding mobs of rapists and looters, with guns in their homes, fared best. Ultimately, U.S. and Guard troops had to provide the security before government agencies and volunteers could do their rescue work.