Baker Update

Reconstruction czar Donald Powell defends the administration's opposition to the Baker bill here, a defense he didn't even have the courtesy to send to the New Orleans Times-Picayune. They had to pick it up later from the Washington Post.

The Times-Pic explains why Powell is dead wrong here and here.

I actually find this encouraging. Powell wouldn't bother trying to defend the adminstration if they thought the Baker bill was dead. Clearly they're worried it might pass.

Of course, it hasn't passed yet, and there are more hurdles, namely a unified levee board and off-shore oil revenues. More on those later.