As some who have read my background know I am a private contractor working for NASA, and I really see a lot of satellite imagery. When I saw the NOAA picture of Katrina as it was coming up the Gulf of Mexico to Louisiana I stated then this would be the storm of the century. How I wish I could have been wrong.

Today in the Washington Post we learn that the Federal Government is already going back to Congress for more relief money and that Katrina will cost more than the three years we spent in Iraq – $200 Billion. That little factoid puts both efforts into clear perspective. This news is some of the pre-speech information coming out prior to the President’s prime time speech tonight.

As I predicted after the first day of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings, Chief Justice Roberts will be seated on the bench very soon now. And the Gang of 14 have their biggest test coming up – which I predict they will pass easily. The democrats have an internal civil war brewing betweent their liberal fringe base (and their base includes their media cohorts) plus the liberal members in Congress and dwindling core of moderates democrats. Will this civil war erupt into a filibuster attempt? My guess is the democrats must at least vote on it once. But Roberts has already made them look like petulant children who cannot get their way after 3 days of hearings. Biden blew any Presidential hopes in 2008. The big attraction is coming after the committee votes. Will there be a filibuster! The Washington Post has an interesting take on what kind of conservative Roberts is here. Its simple, really. He is the kind who sits on the Supreme Court.

The NY Times tries to spin an interview with Michael Brown, formally Director of FEMA, as a negative hit on Bush for not taking control of the situation from the local screw ups sooner.

Mr. Brown, then director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said he told the officials in Washington that the Louisiana governor, Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, and her staff were proving incapable of organizing a coherent state effort and that his field officers in the city were reporting an “out of control” situation.

“I am having a horrible time,” Mr. Brown said he told Mr. Chertoff and a White House official – either Mr. Card or his deputy, Joe Hagin – in a status report that evening. “I can’t get a unified command established.”

I have a complete post on this one item here

The NY Times/CBS have another dismal Bush approval poll out here. My guess is the numbers start rebounding by the end of the month.

The one item which is a must read today is the Galloway vs. Hitchens debate as live blogged by Mark Coffey here.