"Starkly different" in what way? And why? The quote doesn't say in any detail. I think it was "starkly different" mainly in the nature of the destruction and the area affected. (No Florida city was 80% drowned, leaving tens of thousands of hard to reach survivors; also, I believe the overall area of obliteration in was much smaller than the hurricane area on the Gulf Coast.

I have to rate the Governor's failure to condemn the level of the federal response as more telling than a newspaper cliche. She doesn't even really condemn the slowness of the response. All she says it that it was "slower than we hoped." If she thought there was deliberate foot-dragging, or even just thoroughgoing incompetence, why wouldn't she speak out in justified outrage? As you say, she's of no political consequence to Bush, so what has she got to lose? And on the other side of the ledger, she might revive her seemingly defunct political career by speaking out as strongly as she possibly can.

It could still happen, and if it does I'll acknowledge that I've been a gullible fool. Who hasn't at some time or another?