Josh Marshall makes an interesting point here, which I will attempt to paraphrase.

Certain government officials like FEMA director Michael Brown are insinuating that New Orleanians who ignored the warnings to evacuate are somewhat responsible for the predicament in which they now find themselves.  (I’ll leave aside the obvious point that many of those left behind simply didn’t not have the means to evacuate).

Yet, Bush and others are also saying that FEMA, the National Guard, etc. could never have foreseen the devastation that befell New Orleans.

So here’s the question:  Why does "lack of foresight" operate as an excuse for the inept government rescue operations, when that same "lack of foresight" meme is being used to criticize New Orleanians who didn’t evacuate?

In other words, if the government can be excused for not having a crystal ball foretelling the scope of the potential devastation, why should we expect that from ordinary (and presumably less-informed) citizens?