Rita Horns In On Continuing Katrina Conundrum

Hurricane Katrina, still stirring up the political pot, will have to make way for Hurricane Rita, now upgraded to a Category 4 storm as it swirls westward toward Texas and the already battered Gulf Coast. But...but...the pundits aren't finished hashing out Katrina yet! Here she comes, nonetheless...



The ongoing Katrina discussion

Today's top blog post and No. 2 blog -- conservative Michelle Malkin -- lambasts the Bush administration (in the wake of recently resigned FEMA Director Michael Brown) for another frontal dive into cronyism, this time for nominating 36-year-old Julie Myers (todays' 5th burstiest person) to take over U.S. Customs Enforcement and Immigration duties in the Department of Homeland Security. Her (questioned) qualifications (today's No. 26 top link): prosecutorial and lower-level Cabinet jobs, niece of Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard Myers and newlywed wife of Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff's chief of staff. "Can we look for experience over expedience?" is the question from the usually Bush-supportive Captain's Quarters blogger.

Katrina "myths"
Bloggers also seem to be having a tizzy over Katrina "myths," including the fact that St. Bernard Parish president Aaron Broussard (who wept openly on MSNBC) was "lying" because his friend's grandmother didn't die exactly within the timeline he outlined on live TV (hey, folks, how about a little compassion?). Think Progress (No. 19 top blog) goes into more detail in outlining what it calls right-wing myths about Katrina.

Kerry's back
Sen. John Kerry is back (No. 12 top personality) after going on the offensive during a Brown University speech (No. 31 top link) on Monday. Brevity, good senator, brevity is a virtue.

Passings...Simon Wiesenthal
The community of Holocaust survivors is mourning the death of Simon Wiesenthal, (today's burstiest person) the 96-year-old who brought more than 1,000 Nazi war criminals to trial and justice, who died this week in Vienna. Dean's World is just one of many blogs commemorating his legacy.