Lawmaker defends length of Obama's New Orleans trip

President Barack Obama's half-day visit is long enough considering the other issues on his plate, said Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) on Thursday.

The president had come under fire from the community group ACORN -- which backed him in the 2008 election -- and some Louisiana lawmakers for not spending enough time in areas affected by Hurricane Katrina and speaking with people there. On the other hand, Rep. Anh Joseph Cao (R-La.) will attend the town hall event with Obama.

"I'm glad he's going. It was a campaign promise," Waters said on MSNBC this morning.

"Of course, a lot of New Orleanians would like him to stay there longer but look this is a president with
a lot on his plate," she added, citing economic woes and the war in Afghanistan.

The president's first visit to New Orleans today includes a trip to a charter school in the Lower Ninth Ward -- which was one of the hardest hit areas during Katrina in 2005 -- and a town hall meeting in the northern part of the city.

Waters promoted the town hall as an opportunity for people affected by the deadly storm to discuss the issues they still face.

Obama will travel to San Francisco in the afternoon and speak at a Democratic National Committee fundraising dinner tonight.