Sen. Mary Landrieu joined U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon and other Gulf Coast leaders at the downtown Marriott hotel this afternoon to launch the “Ready 4 Takeoff Coalition,” a broad-based lobbying and public relations effort to attract federal compensation and defense spending to the region in the wake of the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

“We’ve been hit and hit and hit and hit again,” Landrieu said. “By storm after storm, flood after flood, and now the BP oil spill, and also the six-month moratorium on offshore drilling, which may cost us more jobs than the oil spill itself.”

The senator was ushered off to her next appointment without taking questions. The press kit for the event was short on details but said the coalition was “committed to building a better tomorrow for the innumerable families, workers, suppliers, manufacturers, and small and large businesses within the region.”

Its economic development initiatives include securing a $40 billion federal government contract for EADS North America to build a KC-45 Real Tanker (pictured) in Mobile, Ala.

Ready 4 Takeoff — get it?

“There’s going to be a significant amount of money paid to the federal government in the aftermath of the spill,” Landrieu said in prepared remarks. “And our congressional group is claiming that 80 percent of that money be spent in the Gulf of Mexico region. Whether it’s $5 billion or $20 billion, depending on if the courts find BP simply or grossly negligent, we’re going to spend that money from Florida to Texas.

“BP is going to replace every blade of grass, every fish destroyed, every pelican oiled, and we are going to hold BP accountable.”

The other politicians and commerce leaders from Mississippi, Florida and Alabama talked in similarly broad terms about BP being made to pay, but were also short on specifics when it came to defense spending, even though the coalition’s members include Airbus Americas, which is owned by EADS North America and stands to benefit directly from the tanker contract.

In addition to the refueling jet, the initiative seeks to push the federal government to purchase more Gulf Coast seafood for military and school contracts, accelerate revenue sharing from offshore oil and gas development, and acquire federal money for projects like the U.S. High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program in Alabama and Mississippi.

The roundabout nature of the rhetoric stood in contrast to the specific request for a $40 billion defense contract.

“We’re talking to each other, building relationships and coalitions,” Mobile Mayor Sam Jackson said after Landrieu had left the building.

“People are scared of what they can’t see, and what they don’t know,”  Melancon said. “It’s important the message gets out to people that the beaches are open and the seafood is safe to eat.”

Again, no mention of the military jets being safe to refuel. But you can sign the petition online, if you’re interested.

Mayor Mitch Landrieu was joined this morning by mayors from 21 cities around the country, who were taking a tour of the Gulf Coast in the wake of the oil catastrophe. The delegation toured the emergency operations center at Laffite, and viewed oil damage in the marshes there. The mayors then returned to New Orleans for a press conference and seafood lunch at the Bon Ton Cafe on Magazine Street.

Mayor Mitch Landrieu introduces Mayor Helene Schneider of Santa Barbara, California, to the Debbie’s Salad at Bon Ton Cafe this afternoon.

“We’re very concerned about the six month moratorium,” said Mayor Annise Parker of Houston, Texas. “Many of the families who are affected by the seafood industry are also relying on income from servicing the oil industry. We need to remember that there is a balance. We don’t ground all the airlines when one plane crashes.”

“We can make sure we don’t do foolish things like not use products from this region,” said Mayor Bob Foster of Long Beach, California. “The real test is three to five years down the road, and we’re going to continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with Mayor Landrieu to make this region succesful.”

“We’re fighting a battle against the oil but we’re also fighting a battle of perception,” said Mayor Frank Hibbard of Clearwater, Florida. “Many of the areas on the Gulf Coast have not been affected by the oil and I would ask that accuracy be the top of the agenda. I hope we don’t make a manmade disaster worse.”

Mayor Landrieu was also honored today by being named chair of the U.S. Conference of Mayors committee on tourism, arts, parks and sports. “There is not a mayor who better understands the importance of the tourism industry,” said Mayor Elizabeth Kautz from Burnsville, Minnesota, chair of the conference. “We learned the hard way after 911 just how important tourism is to our country.”

The mayors supported Senator Mary Landrieu’s call for energy revenue sharing in the Gulf region before 2017, and said a coordinated command structure is important for tackling the oil disaster. Landrieu said it was also very important to recognize the excellence of the Bon Ton Cafe, and its proprietors Wayne and Debbie Pierce.

Gambit asked Wayne Pierce what’s on the mayoral menu for this afternoon: Shrimp cocktail; Debbie’s salad (a mixture of crabmeat, shrimp and greens); crabmeat au gratin; shrimp and crab gumbo; redfish bon ton; redfish Alzina; bayou jambalaya (made with crawfish and shrimp); pan broiled jumbo shrimp; oysters Alvin (Alvin and Alzina were founders of the cafe — oysters Alvin is fried oysters topped with a lemon butter sauce); fried soft shell crabs; and bread pudding with whisky sauce.

The mayors were scheduled to eat all of that in 45 minutes before returning to the Roosevelt Hotel.

My inbox is constantly filled with the desperate pleas of Nigerian princes and Chinese widows that miss my spam folder, where so many fake bank statements and male enhancement offers go to die. I routinely delete these messages, and the message I received from a Robert Philippe Webb de Orleans with the subject line “URGENT” nearly received the same fate. But a quick glance at this message told me this guy is not some spambot, firing phishy missives from somewhere in Africa: he appears to be a real life crazy person, and he wants to be the king of Louisiana.

Addressed to Mitch Landrieu, Bobby Jindal, James D. “Buddy” Caldwell, Mary Landrieu and David Vittler, the 2,172-word email begins with Webb claiming to be the descendant of royalty, a relative of Robert E. Lee and a member of the Lykes shipping family.

Meet Robert Philippe Webb — your next king.

He advocates seceding from the union, doesn’t like President Obama very much, talks about some conspiracy theories, is sore about the Louisiana Purchase, and would totally let Jindal and crew have jobs under his leadership. Here some of the highlights:

• “President Barrack Obama worries me deeply. He is part of a massive Nazi and Mafia based Eugenics Conspiracy underway in The Federal Government’s intelligence circles.”
• “I am writing to formally express my willingness in this turbulent time to lead The People of New Orleans, Louisiana and The Louisiana Purchase Territory as lawfully installed King of Louisiana. There is no clear leadership in these lands which rightfully belong to me and my Family.”
• ”I would be willing to offer each of you a Title and position in a new government which I propose to lawfully put in place with International United Nations Laws and the support of all The Citizens in my Homeland.”
• “There are many of these violations but in particular I cite The United States Federal Government’s creating The HIV and AIDS Virus in 1970 at Ft. Detrick, Maryland’s Biological Weapons Laboratory.”
• “It is our legal right to bear arms against a Tyrannical and unwanted oppressive Government. I do however advocate my peaceful installation.”

I checked out his website, and apparently he’s an architect? I guess with this oil disaster going on, we all want to do something. While some of us just want to donate hair that may or may not be used for oil booms, or scrub oil-slicked ducks with Dawn soap, or never go to a BP gas station ever, ever again, this guy wants to be king. Just his way of coping. And it’s in his blood.

The entirety of his weirdo email is after the jump.

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Minutes after the health care bill passed 219-212 in the House of Representatives, several Louisiana politicos pressed SEND and sent out their email statements. (Well, their staffs did. But still.) Below the jump, some comments from Sen. Mary Landrieu, Rep. Charlie Melancon (who voted nay) and state Rep. Cedric Richmond, who’s running for Rep. Anh “Joseph” Cao’s Congressional seat in November, and couldn’t resist slapping Cao for his nay vote.

Might as well … jump!

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James O’Keefe, who was charged along with three others with entering federal property under false pretenses with the intent of committing a felony, has issued a statement saying “no one tried to wiretap or bug Senator Landrieu’s office. Nor did we try to cut or shut down her phone lines. Reports to this effect over the past 48 hours are inaccurate and false.”

The self-identified “investigative journalist” says he could have used a different approach when he and the others posed as telephone company repair people to enter Landrieu’s office, but his intent was to find out whether or not Sen. Landrieu was avoiding constituents’ phone calls.

Read it for yourself.