The Disaster Unfolds: Where's the Leadership?

Several key questions are being asked about the dangerously slow response to the country's first major and most pressing challenge in this post-9/11 homeland security environment. Where's the leadership? posed by TMP Cafe (today's No. 11 blog post) and a New York Times editorial (today's No. 7 news story) are among the most common. It's one of several themes running through the blogosphere today.

The leadership question
Bloggers are increasingly incensed in their posts, not only about the Bush-led privatization/dismantling of FEMA (today's No. 8 blog post from Washington Monthly) to criticism of Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice's New York shopping spree while the Gulf Coast, literally, lay in rubble (today's No. 2 blog post). As as the discussions intertwine relief efforts and politics, criticism also turns to the Bush Administration's squandering of U.S. troops and resources on a war in Iraq at the expense of the homeland (today's No. 24 blog post). New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin is the No. 3 blogged-about personality for his "desperate S.O.S." call for help on Thursday, and White House spokesman Scott McClellan is taking heat for dodging questions about the speed of response.

A socioeconomic disaster as well
Some bloggers are looking at the economic and racial issues emerging in the aftermath milieu, with blogger Scott Lynch using some choice words for people who've never been poor and caught in a natural disaster; the Point of Law blog looks at legal issues related to looting, and Interdictor points out problems with New Orleans police involved in looting as well.

Mobilizing the blogger community
Despite the angst and difficulties of the hurricane cleanup and relief, bloggers are pouring money and effort into helping. Instapundit continues to publish a comprehensive list of relief agencies. Skippy the Bush Kangaroo suggests blogger donations independent of politics, Liberal Blogosphere for Hurricane Relief offers its services, and one blogger is auctioning design services to help the cause. The Truth Laid Bear keeps a running tab of Thursday's Blog For Relief Day (No. 6 top link; $250,000 and counting). Moveon.org is linking hurricane refugees with available housing provided by Moveon members across the U.S.

Holiday news:
The BlogPulse team will be taking a four-day holiday over the Labor Day weekend, returning to work on Wednesday, Sept. 7. See you then...