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August 25, 2006
Doesn't Know Class From A Hole In The Ground

One of the sure signs of an incompetent is his impulse to catalog other's failures when criticized, instead of focusing on his own responsibilities. Ray Nagin will give a demonstration of that principle on Sunday, August 27th, in an interview with CBS News. When asked about the lack of progress in clearing the rubble from Hurricane Katrina, Nagin petulantly scolded New York for its "hole in the ground":

Confronted by accusations that he’s taking too long to clean up his city after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin defended himself by remarking on New York City’s failure to rebuild Ground Zero.

Nagin made the remarks in an interview conducted by CBS News National Correspondent Byron Pitts which will be broadcast on 60 Minutes, Sunday, Aug. 27, at 7 p.m. EDT.

On a tour of the decimated Ninth Ward, Nagin tells Pitts the city has removed most of the debris from public property and it’s mainly private land that’s still affected – areas that can’t be cleaned without the owners' permission. But when Pitts points to flood-damaged cars in the street and a house washed partially into the street, the mayor shoots back. "That’s alright. You guys in New York can’t get a hole in the ground fixed and it’s five years later. So let’s be fair."

Let's face it: Crescent City residents elected Nagin in part for his genial incompetence. Not long ago he busied himself by assuring people that New Orleans would remain a "chocolate city", then tried to explain that away by saying he meant milk chocolate. Despite these verbal gaffes and the lack of progress in the city, New Orleans continues to embrace him, even after his incompetence went from amusing to deadly in the first hours of the hurricane.

Viewers can see part of the reason why in this interview. While Pitts wants to talk about a clean-up that still hasn't completed a year after the hurricane -- and for which the city is responsible -- Nagin wants to sell his city a big dose of paranoia instead. On one hand, Nagin hails the upcoming Trump Towers condominium complex, which will stand 68 stories in a city that flirts with sea level in almost every sector. Almost in the next breath, Nagin talks about the "salivating" special interests that want to exploit the disaster and drive out the poor in order to make money on the rebuilding effort. Wouldn't that describe Donald Trump and the strange 68-story complex that Nagin just promoted?

Big Easy residents shouldn't worry too much about Nagin's future, though. Their city will remain a disaster area for years at the rate that Nagin has tackled the clean-up, but Nagin will find a way to blame it on Governor Kathleen Blanco, and Blanco and the media will find a way to blame it on the Bush administration. The rest of us, especially New Yorkers, will not be fooled and will see Nagin for the classless incompetent he is.

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Posted by Ed Morrissey at August 25, 2006 6:00 AM

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» Nagin blasts New York’s ‘hole in the ground’ from FreePA.org
Mayor Ray Nagin still refuses to take responsibility for his role in the blundered Katrina relief efforts.  Instead, he would rather blame…New York? (CBS) Confronted by accusations that he’s taking too long to clean up his city after ... [Read More]

Tracked on August 25, 2006 7:01 AM

» At This Point, What Else Is There Left To Say Other Than... from The Political Pit Bull
...Ray Nagin is a complete and utter scummer. Confronted by accusations that he’s taking too long to clean up his city after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin defended himself by remarking on New York City’s failure to rebuild... [Read More]

Tracked on August 25, 2006 9:40 AM

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