The winds of Katrina have long since ended but the legacy of this disaster looms heavy over our country. Katrina was more than just a storm. This catastrophic event literally and figuratively tore away the curtain on the Bush Administration and exposed what many of us have felt for a long time- that Bush is an incompetent man and that his Administration is incapable of protecting the American people from threats both natural and man-made.

The Bush Administration was not prepared for this event and paid no attention to many warnings about the possible affects of a category four hurricane hitting New Orleans. This was a major blunder on their part but sadly is not the end of the story.

The most important piece of any national tragedy- be it Katrina or 9/11- is that we learn from our mistakes and put into place the necessary precautions to ensure that we will be safer in the future.

This, I fear, is where Bush gets his lowest marks. Not only does it not feel like we’re more prepared to handle a national disaster in the realm of Katrina in New Orleans or any major American city- but Bush has done nothing to address the underlying societal problems that Katrina brought to the surface.

America is still a nation dealing with issues of race, intolerance, and indifference to abject poverty. We are nation that has allowed our federal government to turn its back on the neediest in our society. Government is not the magic bullet and cannot and should not attempt to heal all ills in any society. But, our government must work hand in hand with local jurisdictions to address the issues, however unattractive and difficult those issues are to face up to, and create a better future for all Americans. Allowing the poorest people in New Orleans who were not able to escape to wait for days without food, water, shelter, or medical supplies is inexcusable. Yet, we’ve heard every excuse in the book for why this happened.

I hope and pray that for at least the next 874 days our nation will not have to face the horror of another natural disaster or terrorist incident. For we know that if we do, Bush and his failed Administration will again leave the most vulnerable to suffer and will refuse to accept any type of real responsibility for protecting the citizens of this country.

These issues rise above politics.

Yes, I am a partisan person but I don’t write this as a Democrat or as an anti-Bush activist. I write this as an American who believes that our country is only as strong as its response to adversity. Our future success as a nation will be dictated by what kinds of lessons we learn in adversity and how our leaders address the most difficult issues lurking below the surface in our society. These issues plague us in good times and most pointedly, as Katrina revealed, during out neediest hours.

From The New York Times:

The Federal Emergency Management Agency was so fundamentally dysfunctional during Hurricane Katrina that Congress should abolish it and create a new disaster response agency from scratch, according to a draft of bipartisan recommendations proposed by a Senate committee.

This is all insider baseball. Bottom line, The Republican-led government failed the American people. You can overhaul and rename, you can fire, you can talk and talk, but at the end of the day, Americans want to be protected and want their tax dollars to be used effectively. It doesn’t matter what you call the department, it matters that there are people working everyday to prepare for natural disasters and if a severe storm, fire, earthquake or tornado hit, the response must be instantaneous.

We have seen the Republican leadership in action over the past six years. It took a disaster like Hurricane Katrina for all of America to really comprehend the emptiness of their governance. (To quote Sen. John Kerry from DoubleSpeak’s inaugural episode)

If anything; Iraq aside, the lagging economy aside, the failure of international leadership aside, the 2006 elections are a referendum on the Republicans and their response to the citizens of the Gulf Coast in their hour of need. For that alone, they ALL deserve to lose their jobs. Vote Democrat in 2006.

NEVER AGAIN

Tomorrow, New Orleanians spread out all over the country will vote for a new mayor to lead a city that was battered and beat up last summer by Hurricane Katrina, one of the worst storms to hit America in the past century.

The race is heated and while the candidates are talking about issues surrounding the massive rebuilding effort that is underway in NOLA; issues of race, poverty and displacement are also on the minds of voters. They want to rebuild, but first, many want to come home.

For my money (and according to most polls), it looks like there are three main contenders at this point. The top two vote getters will face off in a runoff election on May 20th.

Take a look at the top tier candidates and check back with DoubleSpeak for in depth election analysis and coverage this weekend and in the lead-up to the May 20th runoff.

Mayor Ray Nagin (D):

Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu (D):

Ron Forman (D):

Check out the rest of the candidates running for Mayor of New Orleans