Bill Clinton: “I have never forgotten that. I am so grateful because he helped to shepherd through the Congress the money that New York…”

“I have never forgotten that. I am so grateful because he helped to shepherd through the Congress the money that New York needed immediately to meet its needs. I am someone who believes that in a time of natural or manmade disaster, Americans rally around each other. We take care of each other. We provided funds from all over the country to help New York rebuild, just as we did after the Northridge earthquake in California, just as we did after hurricanes in Florida, just as we did after forest fires in the West, just as we did after the great floods in the Middle West. There has never been a disaster of the dimension of what we are facing along the gulf coast. I believe I have a small bit of understanding and empathy because of what we went through in New York for what my colleagues, Senator Vitter and Senator Landrieu, are facing. But what is becoming clear to me is that there is an effort underway to make the recovery along the gulf coast much more difficult than it needs to be. I have been stunned at some of the demands that I hear coming from some of those in the Congress about what is expected from the people along the gulf coast and what kinds of funds can be made available to them. Like many people, I have been touched, moved, and impressed by the passion and eloquence of my friend and colleague, the senior Senator from Louisiana, Ms. Landrieu.…”