"ALL RIGHT WE ARE TWO NATIONS*": Scott Shields at MyDD elucidates the dichotomy, with quotes from John Edwards giving the Democratic vision of post-Katrina America, and from Bill Frist giving the Republican vision of post-Katrina America. I think you'll agree with Scott's conclusion. And if you want evidence from the ground:

At one point Friday, the evacuation was interrupted briefly when school buses pulled up so some 700 guests and employees from the Hyatt Hotel could move to the head of the evacuation line — much to the amazement of those who had been crammed in the Superdome since last Sunday.

"How does this work? They (are) clean, they are dry, they get out ahead of us?" exclaimed Howard Blue, 22, who tried to get in their line. The National Guard blocked him as other guardsmen helped the well-dressed guests with their luggage.

The 700 had been trapped in the hotel, near the Superdome, but conditions were considerably cleaner, even without running water, than the unsanitary crush inside the dome.

There are more pointed contrasts and cutting comments from Tbogg, from Sisyphus Shrugged, and from James Wolcott, and Mad Kane helpfully provides a new 404 Error page for the MIA CEO. A Mockingbird's Medley spots Betty Bowers giving us the hidden explanation:

I see that our gallant President has decided that it is taking far too long for Iraq to look like America. So he has decided to meet them halfway by making New Orleans look like Baghdad.

(*the title is from John Dos Passos)