Fineman comes out for New Orleans

Fineman: New Orleans is Exhibit A for Stimulus | Newsweek Voices - Howard Fineman | Newsweek.com

Still, if President Obama wants a vivid place in which to dramatize American economic plight as he sells his recovery package, he should come here, to this still-struggling city, and to the Lower Ninth. The president is on the road, visiting hard-hit towns in traditionally Red States. It's a dramatic way to sell his plan—and to remind congressional Republicans that they oppose him at their peril. Well, Louisiana is such a Red state, where Obama had hoped to win last year.

And even though New Orleans is a special case, it is a case that must not be forgotten. Indeed, in the campaign, Obama promised he'd remember. Let's see how well he upholds that vow. And Obama should not forget that George Bush's glaring failure of leadership in the aftermath of Katrina is a chief reason why Obama, who sought to embody calm competence and attention to detail, is president.