"Mister, We Could Use a Man Like Herbert Hoover Again"

Daniel Schorr, writing in the Christian Science Monitor, asks "What would Herbert Hoover do?"

He's talking about how the President who presided over the start of the Great Depression managed a natural disaster much more effectively than the financial one.

When the great flood of 1927 destroyed much of Louisiana, the federal government jumped in quickly and coordinated evacuation and relief efforts.

President Coolidge's point man -- Commerce Secretary and future President Herbert Hoover.

Secretary Hoover didn't dilly-dally about taking time to get things rolling. He got in touch with 91 communities and told them to be ready for refugees:

"And you haven't got months to do it.... You've got hours." -- Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover, coordinating evacuation of 1927 Lousianna floods

Not exactly the kind of comparison the Bush administration would like to have -- a President associated with failure credited for doing a better job than the one President Bush has taken responsibility for. (CSM)