More public figures have spoken out, lambasting the government”s slow response to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The Reverend Al Sharpton spoke in Houston on Saturday and said that race played a role. [includes rush transcript]

He called President Bush’s response to the crisis “inexcusable.” He noted the difference between the governemnt”s rapid response to the hurricane in Florida last year that hit mostly white upper-middle class areas and to Hurricane Katrina that hit the mostly black New Orleans and Mississippi.

• Rev. Al Sharpton, speaking in Houston.