Paulsen: Even the paper said it was a cheap shot.

Nagin: Yeah, but they apologized in print and nothing on the Internet.

Paulsen: Will you ever pick up a gun again?

Nagin: In a different capacity, maybe.

Paulsen: We’ve done a number of interviews over the years and no matter what the controversy, you’ve always kept your composure and kind of almost laughed it off.

Nagin: Well this is different. I kind of let my emotions to come out after the storm because I saw so many people suffering…and this, I see police officers getting shot because of somebody has a mental issue and I see this picture and I see you guys putting my schedule. This is just crossing the line as far as I’m concerned.

Roberts: If you could say something right now about how you’re planning to handle your position of power. Can you act appropriately in the emotional state that you’re in right now.

Nagin: There’s no doubt about it. I’ll get over this in a moment. I just needed to get this out and let the public know this has crossed the line.

Roberts: You say this is personal and why would anyone here or at any other media establishment be after you personally. It’s not you personally.

Nagin: That’s not true Sally. It’s me. It’s Ray Nagin. They’re putting my picture in a position that totally distorts the truth.

Paulsen: The schedule that is in Lee’s report, as I understand it is last year’s schedule.

Nagin: Yeah, but you’ve never done this. You’ve never done this and I want to see a follow up. I want to see every elected official’s schedule.

Paulsen: I hear from a lot of reporters, press people, they say that the mayor is just not accessible to the media.

Nagin: How much more accessible can I be? You ask me to come on every other week on this show, I’ve done that.

Paulsen: You’ve been very good about that.

Nagin: I’m out in the community. Look, I can only do so much when I’m doing, leading a major recovery like this. I have to be in Washington, D.C.  I have to be all over the place. For you to say I’m not accessible is a gross…

Roberts: Do you respond when reporters say they’re working on stories about you, do you respond?

Nagin: As far as I know. I’ve given every reporter access to me that needs it, but if you’re a talk show kind of groupie thing…

Paulsen: I believe Lee Zurik said he tried to get you to respond to his story and you did not.

Nagin: I don’t know anything about that. I’ve done stories with Lee in the past and will do stories in the future with him, but my personal schedule, the schedule of the mayor, that has security implications, to me is just way across the line. You know, he said he was doing this because there was this talk about me being in Texas more than I’m in New Orleans, now you’re not even talking about that, now you’re just on to whether I’m working hard enough.

Paulsen: Are you?

Nagin: Absolutely. Absolutely. I don’t know if I can work any harder than I am right now.

Paulsen: Will anything change from the emotions you displayed today. Will anything change about Ray Nagin in the coming days?

Nagin: I don’t know. I’ll probably settle down and get to the business of the recovery. I’ll probably go talk to an attorney and the FBI about hate crimes and all that good stuff, but I’ll be back to business.

Roberts: Have you received any direct threats?

Nagin: I’m not going to get into that. I’m a fairly high profile person and I’ve made some pretty hard decisions and it’s made some people angry. So it is what it is.

Paulsen: I know you’ve told me privately that things couldn’t be better for the city in many ways. If they weren’t what type of heat would you take then?

Nagin: I think it would be worse, but it seems like the better things get in the community, the more intense some are on accentuating negatives. That’s crazy.