The Conservative Zone

...According to Senator Mary Landrieu.

Normally I get the jump on Rush and comment on stores that he covers on his show later in the day. But I missed this story and so now I get to play catchup.

Asked on "Fox News Sunday" why New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin failed to follow the city's evacuation plan and press the buses into service, Landrieu blamed Bush administration cuts in mass transit funding.

"Mayor Nagin and most mayors in this country have a hard time getting their people to work on a sunny day, let alone getting them out of the city in front of a hurricane," she said. "And it's because this administration and administrations before them do not understand the difficulties that mayors . . . face."

Landrieu then added: "In other words, this administration did not believe in mass transit. They won't even get people to work on a sunny day, let alone getting them out."

If you can't get people to work on a sunny day, then you are hiring people with the wrong work ethic, if they have one at all. I would have thought that if the first people you put on those buses were the immediate families of the drivers, that they would be all too glad to drive them out of town ahead of the hurricane. But I could be wrong.

After all, 1/3rd of the NOPD quit, in fact some were caught on tape participating in the looting. It appears that almost every one involved in this whole debacle, from the Governor of Louisiana to the citizens of New Orleans, expected someone else to do their jobs for them. This is the Liberal attitude that produces a citizenry that wants everything done for them, and they don't have to do a thing.

And Senator Landrieu is making excuses for those who are responsible and blaming those who are not. Of course, she must. She is a Liberal. She, in Rush's words, exhibits, "The bigotry of low expectations." She doesn't think those responsible could have done any better. Their lackluster effort really was their best, so don't blame them and hurt their fragile egos.

Bullshit. The only way people grow is to constantly try. The failure is not in not accomplishing the task, but rather to give up in the trying. If your best isn't good enough, then you need to let someone else do the job and you step aside.

You want to do the honorable thing? Accept blame when you are at fault. Then head back in and do your best to correct the problem, or let someone more qualified do the job.