Even though in comments and emails some readers have insisted this independent site is clearly “a Democratic liberal site” for not saying “Good job!” to President George Bush for the federal response so far to Hurricane Katrina, Republicans are increasingly expressing unhappiness and concern.

For instance, the New York Times reports:

Members of Congress from both parties acknowledged on Friday that the federal response to Hurricane Katrina had fallen far short and promised hearings into what had gone wrong.

“Hard lessons have been learned; tragic lessons have been learned,” said Representative Roy Blunt of Missouri, the No. 3 Republican in the House, adding, “We have to respond more quickly; we have to respond in the right ways and be sure our priorities are right.”

There was the expected comment from Senator Bill Frist — vaguely critical, but not too much. But a GOPer from Lousiana was not as restrained:

Republican lawmakers were also critical, with Representative Jim McCrery of Louisiana choking up during a news conference.

“You might note a bit of frustration in my face and in my voice,” said Mr. McCrery, whose district in the northwest part of the state was spared by the storm but is struggling to deal with evacuees. “I will tell you: It is there. I am frustrated in my attempts to deal with a wide array of bureaucracy in trying to get assets on the ground.”

Several lawmakers said the halting response to the storm suggested that the nation was unprepared for a large-scale terrorist attack as well as another natural disaster.

Indeed, that’s the lingering question: here’s a case where it was virtually telegraphed (via the National Weather Service) that a catastrophic storm could wreak unprecedented havoc on New Orleans and other areas and the result was chaos, with some people left stranded to live (and die)like animals.

What happens if a dirty bomb suddenly explodes in one or more American cities? Are there local and federal contigency plans and, if so, are they (hopefully) better than the ones that existed (or didn’t) for New Orleans?

The Bush administration was also criticized by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a GOPer who is no longer in Congress so he has no vested, ongoing interest in defending the administration. Newsday reports:

One prominent Republican, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, criticized the Bush administration for being sluggish, and urged the president to name (former New York Mayor Rudy) Giuliani as the White House point person for relief efforts.

“We need to get the job done now, and I don’t think anybody is better prepared to do that psychologically and otherwise than Rudy Giuliani,” Gingrich said.

The AP has more on Gingrich and other GOPers:

Four days after Katrina killed hundreds if not thousands, Republicans joined Democrats in wondering why it was taking so long to relieve the misery of so many people living in squalor without the necessities of life.

“If we can’t respond faster than this to an event we saw coming across the Gulf for days, then why do we think we’re prepared to respond to a nuclear or biological attack?” asked former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a Republican.

Republican Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts called the government’s response “an embarrassment.”

Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., called upon Bush to recall National Guardsmen stationed in Iraq whose homes and families were in the path of Katrina’s destruction. The president said there were enough Guard troops for Iraq and recovery efforts.

And there was even this:

Tom DeLay, the Republican House majority leader, said on Friday that poor leadership and poor communications between local and federal officials was hindering the relief effort. “No one knows who’s in charge,” he said.

(They all must be RINOS…)