Amidst criticism and chaos, Bush concedes response to Katrina 'not acceptable'

U.S. President George W. Bush, beginning a tour of the hurricane-battered Gulf Coast, vowed Friday the government will restore order in lawless New Orleans, and said the $10.5 billion US being approved by Congress is just a small down payment for disaster relief.

"I'm not looking forward to this trip," Bush said as he set out for a first-hand look at the destruction in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi. "It's as if the entire Gulf Coast were obliterated by the worst kind of weapon you can imagine," he said.

Bush began his day at the White House, where he expressed unhappiness with the efforts so far to provide food and water to hurricane victims, and to stop looting and lawlessness in New Orleans.

"The results are not acceptable," said Bush, who rarely admits failure.

The president's comments came after New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin lashed out at federal officials, telling New Orleans radio station WLL "they don't have a clue what's going on down here."

Nagin said he was "pissed" at the lack of help.

"We authorized $8 billion to go to Iraq, lickety split. After 9/11 we gave the president unauthorized powers, lickety split to help New York and other places," he said. "You mean to tell me that a place where most of your oil is coming through ... that we can't figure out a way to authorize the resources that we need," said Nagin.

Before leaving Washington for Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, President George Bush told reporters aid was "surging" in, but acknowledged that "the results are not acceptable."

He got a warm reception in Mobile from Governors Haley Barbour of Mississippi and Bob Riley of Alabama, with both praising the federal government's response.

Standing with the governors in an airplane hangar, Bush said: "We have a responsibility to clean up this mess. What is not working right, we're going to make it right."

A truck convoy of National Guard troops arrived in Louisiana Friday with food, water and weapons, and orders to retake the streets and bring relief to the suffering.

"The cavalry is and will continue to arrive," one general told the Associated Press.

The trucks began arriving at the New Orleans Convention Center, where 15,000 to 20,000 hungry and desperate victims had taken shelter -- many of them seething with anger so intense that the place appeared ready to erupt in violence at any moment.