The headline is “White House Backpedals on Flood Control,” but every source interviewed for the article agrees that even if an array of Army Corps of Engineers flood-control projects had been fully funded, they would not have made much of a difference.
Despite the headline, this story is actually a strong refutation to those like Sidney Blumenthal who are trying to blame the Bush administration for leaving New Orleans vulnerable to a Cat4/5 hurricane — as if any city 10 feet below sea level and surrounded by water wouldn’t be.
Has the government made mistakes in this relief effort? It’s impossible to conclude otherwise after watching reports like this one. But this idea going around on the left that Bush was responsible for some fatal shortchanging of New Orleans is rapidly losing credibility, as are those who are making the argument.