Department of Homeland Talking Points

Michael Chertoff has his talking points. Unfortunately for him they make no sense.

He asserts with the dogged repetition of a press secretary that the hurricane and the flood are two separate and unconnected events. If you buy that then he hopes you'll buy the idea that no one could have predicted the two things happening in conjunction.

As part of this odd formulation he even says that the levee breach was just like a nuclear weapon going off in conjunction with the hurricane. (I guess a volcano or attack by space aliens would work here too.)

The problem with this logic is that flooding is an integral part of most hurricanes, and nuclear weapons are not.

Indeed, massive flooding of the below-sea-level city was predicted years ago in great detail by The New Orleans Times Picayune, National Public Radio, and even the federal government.

So, Chertoff, I may eventually be convinced that everything that could be done was done, but not that this situation wasn't anticipated.

More likely, since the correct logical starting assertion was that this situation was predicted, I and many other disillusioned Americans will continue to be furious at the inadequate response.