Ed Compass is the New Orleans fall guy:

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Police Superintendent Eddie Compass resigned Tuesday after four turbulent weeks in which the police force came under fire for its conduct in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath.

Earlier in the day, the department said that about 250 police officers — roughly 15% of the force — could face face discipline for leaving their posts without permission during Katrina and its aftermath.

Each case will be investigated to determine whether the officer was truly a deserter or had legitimate reasons to be absent, Deputy Chief Warren Riley said.

The resignation came the same day in which a local newspaper published a report saying 249 police officers could face a special tribunal because they left their posts without permission during and after Hurricane Katrina.

It's appropriate for Compass to be forced out, as his department is now a demoralized one that will need new leadership and new ideas, and while he appears to be an amiable fellow, he does not seem to be the kind of figure that is capable of leading a post-Katrina New Orleans Police Department.

But Compass should not be the only major figure in the city to take the fall. Mayor Ray Nagin should have also announced his resignation along with Compass, and as I posted a couple of weeks ago, every day that Nagin has the audacity to stay on as mayor redefines the word "chutzpah."