Politicians say some silly things. Perhaps the reason we "catch" them saying so many silly things is because they talk so much. That reminds me of an old proverb, "He who guards his mouth and his tongue, Guards his soul from troubles" (Proverbs 21:23).

Take, for example, what New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin recently said. While on stage with Al Sharpton, another person who needs to learn to bridle his tongue, Nagin referred to comments he had made earlier when he called ground zero in New York City „a hole in the ground." He was apologizing to New Yorkers for his comments.

Or, consider what our president recently said while visiting New Orleans. While there he said the flood in that city was of biblical proportions. Really, Mr. President? I think the two hardly even come close to comparing! The flood in the Bible destroyed everything except the few animals Noah and his family loaded onto the ark. The flood in New Orleans hardly did that! However, if what the president said is really true and accurate, a lot of people probably should be really upset. Why? The Flood in the Bible was a depiction of the moral nature of God's acts, of His righteousness, of His will to extricate humanity from its self-inflicted ruin, and of His determination to never see wrong as ultimately victorious.

In The Flood, God took account of earth's wickedness and the persistent human bent toward evil and the corruption that filled the earth and decided to destroy practically everything.

Who knows? If that is what the president meant, perhaps he was right after all. My observation of that city certainly caused me to think there was a lot of evil there! I think, however, that is not what the president was talking about. I think he was simply using political speak to attempt to in some way win the sympathy of voters there. Consequently, he made a very poor comparison by describing the flood there as one of "biblical proportions." Perhaps the best advice to all politicians as we approach more elections, and for the rest of us too for that matter, would be this: "Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak."