GOP begins damage control

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Republicans tried to limit the political damage from the botched federal response to Hurricane Katrina -- with President Bush, members of Congress and military leaders yesterday all promising to look into the failures.

"What I intend to do is lead an investigation to find out what went right and what went wrong," the president said after meeting with Cabinet members at the White House.

Republicans said they have received the message that there is frustration over the federal response.

"Have I got an earful? You betcha," said Sen. Norm Coleman, Minnesota Republican, who said he heard about it from voters at Minnesota's state fair this weekend.

But even as Republicans promised investigations, they made it clear that the first failure was at the state and local levels, where governments are charged with preparation and the first response to disasters.

"I'm a former mayor," Mr. Coleman said. "The leadership starts at the local level. I didn't see the local mayor. I didn't hear from the mayor."

His focus on state and local officials was echoed by Mr. Bush, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and top congressional Republicans, who said the federal response fell short because, in Mr. Coleman's words, "the federal officials didn't do a good enough job of filling that void fast enough."

The senator from Minnesota said that the federal government must now turn its immediate failure into an opportunity to show it is in control.

Now, both Congress and the president are rushing to fill that void with money.

Mr. Bush was expected to send Congress a reported $40 billion emergency spending package last night, five days after a $10.5 billion emergency bill passed.