This last week as I watched the finger-pointing storm that
erupted over who didn’t do what soon enough in the wake of the
Hurricane Katrina disaster; I was disappointed at the
politicization of human suffering caused by Katrina. It was beneath
disgraceful.

My mind went back four years ago to September 11 and the unified
response to that catastrophe that was critical to success. I
thought about the massive job of rebuilding the Gulf Coast that
awaits us and how all some politicos and media types can do is to
harp on what went wrong and to place blame. I thought about our
brave National Guardsmen on duty in Louisiana in very difficult and
dangerous circumstances. I thought about countless thousands of
regular Americans who have interrupted their lives to go to the
Gulf Coast to help in any number of capacities. I thought about the
great outpouring of resources and prayers from every corner of our
country to help the good people of Louisiana, Mississippi and
Alabama.

Instead of politicians and the media worrying about how they are
going to be seen in this potentially defining event, I believe that
it is vital that we concentrate on the job at hand to help those
who cannot help themselves get re-established and to clean up and
rebuild the Gulf Coast. This is the real America that I know first
hand and that I love, having had the magnificent opportunity of
living in various parts of this great country. I have also traveled
abroad and know that this sense of national unity is something that
few, if any, other nations on the earth have, certainly not to the
degree that we have it here as Americans.

This is a time, just like four years ago on September 11, for us
to come together, roll up our sleeves, and get the work done that
must be done. Whether we like it or not, we live in a very
inter-connected world. What happens in Louisiana directly affects
us here in Colorado.

I don’t need to mention what happened to the price of gasoline
in the days following the hurricane, as approximately 20 percent of
our national refining capacity was affected. The port of New
Orleans was shut down, idling all of the trade that comes and goes
on the Mississippi river. Agricultural products, industrial
products, travel, tourism – all were shut down and affected the
entire nation and other nations with whom we trade.

Inevitably, we will discover errors in preparation and response
that were made at lo-cal, state and national levels by members of
both political parties. We will learn from these errors, correct
the deficiencies, and go forward, ready to do better next time, for
there most assuredly will be a next time.

I am reminded of what former President Theodore Roosevelt said
in 1910 about those who sit on the sidelines and criticize those in
the arena -“The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the
arena.” That man may err and come up short, but at least he is in
the arena trying his best. Roosevelt understood that there will be
no progress without error. We are all human and are all going to
make mistakes. The key is that we must learn from those mistakes
and go forward.

September 11 and Katrina are two powerful events to which we
must respond in a forceful and unified manner. We must learn from
mistakes made and go forward together. The survival of our nation
depends upon it.