“Sir, I know that you know the situation is past critical. Here some things you might not know. Hotels are kicking people out, thousands gathering in the streets with no food or water. Hundreds still being rescued from homes.

“The dying patients at the DMAT tent being medivac. Estimates are many will die within hours. Evacuation in process. Plans developing for dome evacuation but hotel situation adding to problem. We are out of food and running out of water at the dome, plans in works to address the critical need.

“FEMA staff is OK and holding own. DMAT staff working in deplorable conditions. The sooner we can get the medical patients out, the sooner we can get them out.”

– FEMA’s Marty Bahamonde in an Aug. 31 e-mail to his boss, then-director of FEMA Michael D. Brown, about conditions in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.

“Thanks for update. Anything specific I need to do or tweak?”

– Then-director of FEMA Michael D. Brown in his reply four minutes later to Bahamonde.

“You’re doing a heck of a job, Brownie.”

– President Bush commenting two days later on the work Brown was doing to coordinate federal disaster relief efforts in New Orleans.

“I will continue to work on this until the wrecking ball comes.”

– Spokane developer Ron Wells, who is interested in acquiring and preserving the historic Rookery and Merton buildings, now scheduled to be demolished to make way for downtown surface parking.

“As he has done before, President Bush has made another strong selection in nominating Samuel Alito to the U.S. Supreme Court.”

– U.S. Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, in a news release following the president’s nomination of Alito to replace Justice Sandra Day O’Conner on the Supreme Court.

“I am very disappointed that some senators have already announced their opposition to Alito, even though his nomination was announced just hours ago.”

– Sen. Craig, next paragraph, same press release.

“The worst thing you can call a police officer is a deserter.”

– New Orleans Police Lt. David Benelli, president of the city’s police union, after 45 officers and six civilian employees were fired for abandoning their posts while the community was dealing with Hurricane Katrina.

“Some might call this a novel approach for me, but I cannot sit back in good conscience while those in our society struggling to heat their homes are being left in the cold by oil companies.”

– U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg, a conservative Republican from New Hampshire, calling for congressional consideration of a tax on excess oil company profits to help needy consumers pay their fuel bills.