The failures of government that were exposed as a result of Hurricane Katrina are numerous and unsettling. These failures, however, occurred at all levels of government, not exclusively at the federal level. President Bush, who has accepted responsibility for the failures of his government, must not receive all the blame for the results of this horrific disaster.

The state and local levels of government must carry just as much blame, if not the most. Much has been publicized about former Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) director Michael Brown being vastly unqualified for the importance and seriousness of the position.

This may be true, but New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has a done a very poor job at the local level. His mistakes are numerous and have come at a high price in human life. His attitude toward federal and state officials has been the exact opposite of what is needed in times of great crisis. He has been quoted more than once cursing and unfairly scolding many of the very groups and individuals who were trying to help the ravaged city. This attitude is completely unacceptable in a mayor of a major American city and calls into question his leadership skills.

Mayor Nagin was recently was on the verge of letting residents return to their homes in the city until, as it has been said, he turned on the weather channel. Another major storm, Hurricane Rita, has the potential to cause further damage to New Orleans.

Photographs of buses sitting underwater have been widely publicized. These could have been used to evacuate thousands. This is only one of the many questions still left unanswered by officials in New Orleans. Those responsible for the mishandling of Hurricane Katrina are officials at all levels of government.

President Bush, as the most visible public policy maker in the nation, has taken a great deal of the blame. But he is also the only one to accept his share. It is time for officials at the state and local levels to accept their share as well and move forward with recovery.