Mr. Bush, still trying to counter the impression that his administration was late in reacting to the Gulf Coast calamity, said Vice President Dick Cheney would visit the region on Thursday to assess.

The president sidestepped a question on whether he intended to replace anyone who has been responsible for the disaster response.

"What I intend to do is lead an investigation into what went right and what went wrong," dubya said.

I do hope he'll 'copy' the 10,000 dead; many of whom are still floating in New Orleans.