Amman on the Mississippi

Nagin's tired of waitin':

Shortcomings in aid from the U.S. government are making New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin look to other nations for help in rebuilding his hurricane-damaged city.

Nagin, who has hosted a steady stream of foreign dignitaries since Hurricane Katrina hit in late August, says he may seek international assistance because U.S. aid has not been sufficient to get the city back on its feet.

"I know we had a little disappointment earlier with some signals we're getting from Washington but the international community may be able to fill the gap," Nagin said when a delegation of French government and business officials passed through on Friday to explore potential business partnerships.

Jordan's King Abdullah also visited New Orleans on Friday and Nagin said he would encourage foreign interests to help redevelop some of the areas hardest hit by the storm.

"France can take Treme. The king of Jordan can take the Lower Ninth Ward," he said, referring to two of the city's neighborhoods.

After that, um, unfortunate "Chocolate City" remark, Mayor Nagin has his sea legs back. Politically, this is a very smart thing to do. Nothing like shame to refocus the government's attention. And they should be ashamed of themselves. No American city should have to go abroad as a last resort to survival.

Nagin said his message to President George W. Bush would be that the federal government needs to refocus on the devastated area.

"We need your undivided attention over the next six months," he said. "We need backup. We need for you to make the words that you spoke in Jackson Square a reality."

Of course, in last week's State of the Union Address, there was exactly one paragraph on New Orleans (and no mention of Hurricane Katrina). One paragraph, on the loss of a major US city. It's like it never even happened.

If France invests enough to get part ownership of New Orleans, will we rename it Freedom Orleans? That's the question.