Unlike the decisive 1815 Battle of New Orleans, this year's battle pits two hack politicans against one another in a race for mayor of the city that poverty built.

Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu (D) an inept politican in his own right, has forced incumbent mayor Ray Nagin into a runoff one month from now.

If Nagin is reelected it is further proof that popular democracy is a failure. If any political leader deserves censure (or defeat) it is Ray Nagin.

Nagin's incompetent leadership during Hurricane Katrina was disgraceful, made worse by his shameless attempt to blame others (i.e., Bush) for his failure to follow the city's own evacuation plan. That incompetence is epitomized in the hundreds of flooded buses that sat idle as the city's poor residents camped in the Super Dome.

Both Landrieu and Nagin have a month to vie for votes. Without question Ray "Chocolate City" Nagin will turn this campaign into a race matter, and sadly his message will resonate with New Orleans' sheeplike electorate.