Hugo vs. Katrina--"Character Counts"

Michael Graham compares what happened during the aftermath of Katrina with was happened in teh aftermath of 1989's Hurricane Hugo which hammered Charleston, South Carolina.

Hurricane Hugo gave the people of South Carolina the opportunity to rise, or fall, to the challenge. The character of South Carolina was revealed in the months and years that followed, and the result is the prosperous, thriving Charleston of today.

The people of New Orleans had the same opportunity. They responded by re-electing the worst big-city mayor in America, committing so much violent crime that the National Guard was forced onto city streets, and blaming their problems on racism by Bush, who is sending more than $110 billion to the Gulf Coast.

The billions will be spent, but the problem of New Orleans won't be fixed. The real lesson of Hugo and Katrina one year later is this: Character counts.