Yes, the Bush hates black people and didn’t act fast enough meme will go on. But I hope when the fog clears–or the water to be less metaphorical about it–the political discussion can be constructive. What went wrong on the federal level, but, as Jonah says, the on-the-ground local problems were obviously a huge contribution to the shortcomings. We know the president was telling Louisiana to evacuate over the weekend. Why didn’t La. move on its own there? And actually facilitate it better. When people are out for blood when hearing time comes, those essential local questions can’t be overlooked. Not for blame as much as a preventative lesson.