The Coast Guard, Life Jackets and Oil-Sucking Barges

This is one of those stories that if, true, isn't going to do much for the image of the federal government's disaster response capabilities. ABC News reports that 16 oil-sucking barges sat still for more than 24 hours in the Gulf of Mexico this week, unable to contribute to the response effort. The reason: The Coast Guard "needed to confirm that there were fire extinguishers and life vests on board, and then it had trouble contacting the people who built the barges."

The barges were approved to start working again after Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal loudly protested.