He's someone respected for doing his homework on issues. He's viewed as a very serious, very studious person.

Thirty-eight percent is not a lot, but he's not dead.

The dialogue has shifted from being about his insensitive and inappropriate statement to questions about his competency.

What Katrina did was unmask many of the deep social, economic and racial divisions we have in this city. Now the issue of race is not just a political issue but an issue of which neighborhood is going to be rebuilt.

I'm a very serious person.

We've been doing our homework. I understand these concerns, but I don't necessarily agree [that they are real issues].