Should Republicans go ahead and add Supreme Court Justices to head off Democrats

Finally some recognition of the real heros of Katrina

Deborah Orin:

KATRINA created so many hurricane heroes, but we hardly hear about any of them.

Start with the amazing Coast Guard rescue teams who dangled from the sky to pluck thousands to safety, gently cradling old women and terrified children hour after hour after hour, all through the night.

In just a few days, they did more rescues than they normally do in a year, each one a test of skill and courage. Now ask yourself: How many interviews with these heroes have you heard?

All across the country, civic groups and churches are jumping into action to shelter refugees from the killer storm "Welcome friends," said a scrawled sign held by a little kid in Lubbock, Texas, as shell-shocked victims arrived.

There have been plenty of problems and glitches but the truth is that most Americans are doing what they always do in times of crisis — rallying together to raise lots of money, volunteering, comforting strangers and helping.

But a lot of the media seems to have decided that's not the story — the goal is to turn Katrina into Iraq II, so nothing but bad news is worth reporting and all bad news must be President Bush's fault.

Which is why most of the press has conveniently ignored the appalling incompetence of New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco.

Everything anyone needs to know about Nagin was clear on CNN two days ago when he said his top priority was to get Las Vegas hotels to cough up some rooms so his police officers could get a break with their families.

"Hotels are an issue. So, some places like a Las Vegas that has a tremendous amount of hotels. We're trying to figure out a way to get them to those locations," Nagin said when asked what was top on his mind.

Thousands of New Orleans residents still trapped, thousands dead, the city destroyed and the mayor's top priority is getting his police officers a vacation?

No doubt there are plenty of heroic New Orleans cops. But some were out looting right under the eyes of reporters like The Post's Jeremy Olshan and 200 of the 1,500 simply walked off the job. New York cops did the exact opposite on 9/11.

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At first, Blanco just threw up her hands at the looting. By contrast, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour warned that looters could be shot — and his state had a lot less trouble. Blanco reportedly resisted a federal takeover of the rescue even after her own incompetence was all too obvious.

Local incompetence doesn't excuse federal mistakes, but it's worth remembering that not every city can count on a Rudy Giuliani when catastrophe hits.

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