Between Two Worlds

Lots of retrospectives are being penned now that the hurricanes seem to be over. Marvin Okasky--as usual--does an excellent job of summarizing the big picture. He writes: "Here's hoping that our run of major hurricanes is over -- and here's an opportunity to examine which people, institutions and concepts won or lost credibility this month."

His three big losers:

1. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, who jumped to erroneous conclusions and cast blame like confetti.

2. National media that served as megaphones for hysteria and propaganda.

3. The federal bureaucracy.

His three big winners:

1. The U.S. military.

2. Faith-based groups.

3. The importance of individual preparedness