A History of Terrorists and the Levees

In reverse chronological order.

Michael Brown, February 2, 2007:

"Had terrorists blown up the levees in New Orleans, the response and recovery would have been different," Brown said, "and I know that, because I've been there."

Mary Landrieu, January 29, 2007:

“I often think we would have been better off if the terrorists had blown up our levees,” she said. “Maybe we’d have gotten more attention.”

Ashley Morris, January 8, 2006:

THE TERRORISTS BOMBED THE LEVEES. THE TERRORISTS BOMBED THE LEVEES.
THE TERRORISTS BOMBED THE LEVEES. THE TERRORISTS BOMBED THE LEVEES.
THE TERRORISTS BOMBED THE LEVEES. THE TERRORISTS BOMBED THE LEVEES.
[etc.]

CNN, October 12, 2005:

"There's only one terrorist around here," said the Louisiana National Guardsman, as he paced outside the New Orleans Convention Center. "And her name is Katrina."

Jim Bernazzani might agree. He's the FBI's special agent in charge for New Orleans, a man who has spent years working counterterrorism.

***

The city, he soon discovered, might just as well have been hit by a terrorist attack. "For New Orleans, the net result is the same. Clearly the tourism industry getting knocked out -- that happened. The only target of opportunity that didn't happen was sinking a ship in the river.

"What we were preparing for, relative to a terrorist attack, had been handed to us by Mother Nature."

The “net result” was the same. What about the net response?