Al Gore saves 270 lives in New Orleans

On September 1, three days after Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast, [Greg Simon, president of the Washington-based activist group FasterCures,] learned that Dr. David Kline, a neurosurgeon who operated on Gore's son, Albert, after a life-threatening auto accident in 1989, was trying to get in touch with Gore. Kline was stranded with patients at Charity Hospital in New Orleans....

Gore responded immediately, telephoning Kline and agreeing to underwrite the $50,000 each for the two flights...

He also recruited two doctors, Spickard and Gore's cousin, retired Col. Dar LaFon, a specialist in internal medicine who once ran the military hospital in Baghdad.

Most critically, Gore worked to cut through government red tape, personally calling Gov. Phil Bredesen to get Tennessee's support and U.S. Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta to secure landing rights in New Orleans.


(CNN)

Meanwhile, Bush was busy slowing down evacuations from the airport via Air Force One. I wonder how many empty seats there were on that plane.