To the Point

Gulf Coast Digs Out as Washington Looks for Answers

President Bush and Congress have called for investigations into what went wrong with disaster preparedness and relief in hurricane country. Vice President Cheney will tour the area on Thursday. Meantime, in New Orleans, the Army Corps of Engineers has repaired the 17th Street Levee break and the water level has dropped a bit, but officials say it could take the next 80 days to dry out the city; fires are inhibiting the search for what may turn out to be thousands of bodies. The Mayor of New Orleans says, "It's going to awful, and it's going to wake the nation up again." We hear from with journalists, legal and public policy experts, religious leaders and Congressional representatives about response to Katrina and rescue operations that are still underway. Making News: Congress Responds to the Response to Katrina President Bush wants to lead an investigation into what went wrong in response to Hurricane Katrina, but the US Senate isn't losing any time. Republican Susan Collins of Maine says she'll head a bipartisan effort to answer disturbing questions. Democrat Joseph Lieberman called this "a moment of national crisis-in America's self-confidence, but agreed the inquiry should be bipartisan. Dana Milbank of the Washington Post has more. Reporter-s Notebook: The Supreme Court and Political Timing As the body of the late William Rehnquist lies in state at the US Supreme Court before his funeral tomorrow, President Bush moved quickly to designate Judge John Roberts as the Chief Justice's successor. Already chosen to succeed retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Roberts was to begin Senate confirmation hearings today. John Hardwood of the Wall Street Journal reports on the scenario for replacing the leader of America's third branch of government.