Basically, the start of my thinking process is: 'OK, if you didn't have to worry about re-election, what would you be doing?' That's kind of how I'm starting to think.

It's time for us to come together. It's time for us to rebuild New Orleans - the one that should be a chocolate New Orleans. This city will be a majority African American city. It's the way God wants it to be. You can't have New Orleans no other way. It wouldn't be New Orleans.

The reality is this city will not be the same for a while, ... We're not saying bring New Orleans back today.

I just tell you, I'm not a big FEMA fan.

The people of our city are holding on by a thread. Time has run out. Can we survive another night? And who can we depend on? Only God knows.

Excuse my French, everybody in America, but I am pissed.

I always feel that in politics, you have a bridle on. Well, I took the bridle off. And I tell you, it felt pretty good.