Department of Homeland Screw-Up: What is the Bush administration doing?, from Slate.

Government Saw Flood Risk but Not Levee Failure, from The New York Times.

From Margins of Society to Center of the Tragedy, from The New York Times.

Katrina's response hits first hurdle, from the BBC.

Local Officials Criticize Federal Government Over Response, from The New York Times.

Flushing out the ugly truth, from Salon (watch ad for free site pass). "The horror in New Orleans has exposed the nation's dirty secrets of race and poverty. Americans are ready to help. Will our leaders show the way?"

Remain silent!, from Salon (watch ad for free site pass). "As they've done after every crisis, right-wingers are insisting that to question the Bush administration is unpatriotic. But no one should be afraid to hold our incompetent leaders to account."

Bush fought funding in Energy Bill for Gulf Coast protection, from Salon (watch ad for free site pass). "The administration strongly opposed the new funding as 'inconsistent with the budget.' "

Anatomy of an unnatural disaster, from Salon (watch ad for free site pass). "With FEMA gutted for Homeland Security and flood projects delayed for lack of funding, the New Orleans nightmare should surprise no one."

A Tragedy By Any Other Name, from Wonkette. "A tipster informs us that down in New Orleans, they have a name for the flood waters that have invaded the city: Lake George. Email attributed by tipster to 'friend at the EPA'..."

Did New Orleans Catastrophe Have to Happen? 'Times-Picayune' Had Repeatedly Raised Federal Spending Issues, from Editor & Publsher.

Budget cuts delayed New Orleans flood control work, from Reuters.

Storm disaster fuels doubts over US terror plans, from Reuters.

Gone With the Water, from National Geographic (October 2004). "The Louisiana bayou, hardest working marsh in America, is in big trouble -- with dire consequences for residents, the nearby city of New Orleans, and seafood lovers everywhere."

FEMA Dir. Mike Brown fired from prior job at Horse Association, from Daily Kos.

Nagin's Nightmare: Full Transcript, from Wonkette.