Bush's speech rekindles debate on race

Bush's speech rekindles debate on race: "WHITE PLAINS — As President Bush addressed the nation about Hurricane Katrina last night, Alak Shah sold Mardi gras beads.

At Patrick's Pub on Westchester Avenue, Shah, 23, seemed more interested in raising money for the Red Cross than watching the president speak.

'I think the federal government is increasing its efforts every chance it gets. At least that's what I'd like to believe,' said Shah, a second-year student at Pace Law School. 'I mean, to say that it's up to the state and local governments ... it's like saying that New York should have handled 9/11 by themselves,' he added.

But as Bush offered the nation's sympathies and pledged to pay for most of the reconstruction of the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast, a national poll released this week showed a deep racial divide over how the country has perceived the government's hurricane response efforts.

A majority of respondents in the Washington Post-ABC News poll faulted President Bush for how the disaster was handled. But while nearly three out of four whites said they did not believe that the race or class of the victims made any difference, more than six in 10 blacks said they thought the response would have been better had those affected been wealthier and white."