IT IS very easy to criticise America and her president George Bush. They are blamed for all the difficulties confronting the world, from global warming to Third World poverty and the rise in Islamic-related terrorism.

Not all of this criticism is justified.

But the disaster in New Orleans does show something unpleasant lurks beneath the surface of the American dream.

The evacuation of the city appears to have overlooked the most vulnerable people. Those too ill, too poor or without the wherewithal to be able to flee hundreds of miles in a private vehicle were left to face Katrina on their own.

These people are now bearing the brunt of the relief crisis. Critics of America will ask if it is because these people are largely poor and black that their president has behaved in a way that has been described as "casual to the point of carelessness".

Americans as a whole will be asking if Mr Bush has left the home front vulnerable by devoting resources - money and men - to the war in Iraq. Hopefully, Tony Blair will be asking himself the same question.

Americans should also ask themselves about their gun culture. New Orleans has slid into crisis not simply because of Mr Bush's failings but also because weapons are so readily available and so easy to use.