Best quote I've read today

"In Louisiana they skim the cream, steal the milk, hijack the bottle and look for the cow."

That's FBI agent James Bernazzani talking about corruption in New Orleans, and he seems to really have a way with an idiom. I read it in an Express-News editorial lamenting how the recovery from Hurricane Katrina is hobbled by the corruption of the local officials.

Oliver Thomas Jr., the senior member of the City Council, is the latest politician to show a greater interest in his bank account than in the people of the Big Easy.

Once considered a viable candidate for mayor, Thomas resigned last week after pleading guilty to a federal bribery charge, the New York Times reported.

Thomas admitted taking as much as $19,000 in bribes in exchange for helping a local businessman keep a city parking lot contract.

He is the latest in what seems to be an interminable line of corrupt politicians, including Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., the target of a multinational bribery investigation.

It's been two years since Katrina hit, and the place is still a mess. Sad.