Not What the Corps Said

Despite the Army Corps of Engineers' assurances that they would investigate the cause of the flooding that followed in the wake of Katrina, the AP reports that the American Society of Civil Engineers has completed a preliminary study. Oddly, confirming the allegations by the private construction firm that built the floodwall at the 17th St. Canal -- allegations that were rejected by the Corps and a judge at the time -- the ASCE concludes that the soil foundations under the floodwall were weak and gave way. The study also confirms the LSU Hurricane Center's conclusions of almost two weeks ago that the water was not high enough for the floodwalls to be overtopped.

How big a story should this be -- the forensic examination of the proximate cause of the near-destruction of a great American city?