Whether it was Nagin's SOS or his expletive-laced radio interview, or Broussard's biting comment that Jefferson Parish was seceding from the Union to "receive the aid a foreign country receives," these officials pulled no punches in giving the federal response a well-deserved pummeling. Their public condemnations, in conjunction with the appalling images seen on television, served two ends. They impressed on the world the scope of the disaster at hand and, even more important, made federal officials accountable for addressing the situation rapidly. By the end of the day Thursday, not only were thousands of New Orleans residents in peril, but also FEMA director Mike Brown's job and George W. Bush's presidency. Not coincidentally, by Friday evening the situation had improved markedly.
Cynics will say that Nagin, Broussard and others were just trying to pass the blame for a scenario they had failed to adequately prepare for or address. No local government in the country, however, could have dealt with a crisis of this magnitude. Lacking the manpower or expertise to cope with perhaps the worst natural disaster in our nation's history, New Orleans officials utilized the one resource they had at their disposal: the bully pulpit their tragic position had afforded them. By using it to denounce the federal response, Nagin and Broussard saved lives.
