The Key issue is that you diodn't bother to read what I wrote. I find that annoying that you want to try to actually contend facts with me, but you don't even want to read.

What you wrote: "f every dollar the COE had requested had come through, you would have wound up with perfectly-maintained Category 3 levees. Note that the 17th Street parallel protection had been completed."

Here is what I wrote (boldface added):Now, it is very unlikely that if these projects had been finished, that the NOLA disaster would have been averted. The point is that laying the blame at the feet of NO or LA is not useful or truthful. The Levee system in that area predates the american government, but in modern times, its always been the preview of the federal government via the Army Core Of Engineers to maintain, expand and repair that system- more often than not with federal funding.

You are trying to divert the argument into an area that isn't even my point, in fact a point I'm not even making.

But then you tag oin a smarmy:
"Next?"

I want to know, Tom, do you actually give a shit or not? Or is whats important to you solely the political 'clean hands' of the Bush administration. What motivates you more: your political shield carrying, or one of out largest citties destroyed and half a millin displaced? What matters to you? Forgive me, but you are sounding an awful lot like the person you accuse Don of being.

DL