I tuned in a few minutes late–right after Nagin went off, I’m told–but Oprah is doing a Katrina show today. It’s total Oprah, in the Mark Steyn sense of the Oprahfication of America. But she’s out there helping people and that’s great–reuniting families and doing what she has the power to do. It’s a blessing that she can do that. And she’s put together some heartbreaking images and stories. But then during the course of the show Lisa Ling raises the question of the week: Would the government have responded quicker if these were affluent whites who were hit by the hurricane? This is America. And these are Americans, Oprah and Ling tell us.

The hurricane, of course, did not discriminate. Nor did the government. Mistakes (and some terrible ones) were made–which will have to be and will be focused on soon, when people are out of make-shift shelters, bodies are cleared, and the like–but racism? And we all owe these people an apology?

I hate to be simplistic, but instead of overwrought rhetoric, why not focus on the great stories of Americans helping Americans–regardless of class or color? This is America, indeed, and we not only have a government but we have people who want to help their neighbors (I won’t fall into Bushspeak here, I promise) and so many are doing just that. It’s just infuriating how much the chattering class divides–even Oprah–while Americans of all classes and colors are, generally, doing exactly the opposite. As that great philosopher (and seemingly good guy).

Matthew McConaughey put it on Oprah: It’s all about “service–share what you have.” And so so many do.