Obama's Visit to New Orleans Too Brief?

President Obama heads to New Orleans today. It's his first trip to the Big Easy since becoming President.

CBS News Chief Correspondent Chip Reid is traveling with the President and joined The Early Show live on Thursday from Andrews Air Force Base.

The last time the President was in New Orleans was more than a year-and-a-half ago when he was candidate Obama. Some residents are not happy that he's waited so long to return.

When Mr. Obama arrives in New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward, he'll see signs of progress alongside landscapes of utter desolation more than four years after Hurricane Katrina.

"It's like a whole community just disappeared," said Juliette Allen, a Lower Ninth Ward resident.

Some here are disappointed the President hasn't been here since February 2008 and that his visit will be less than four hours - touring a school and holding a town hall.

"If Obama doesn't get a chance to drive around and talk to citizens and see what's going on he may miss some things," said Wanda Timpton, a New Orleans resident.

The White House argues that top administration officials have been busy with nearly three dozen trips, freeing up a billion dollars in aid stuck in red tape and bringing another billion in stimulus spending.

"I think they'll understand and see we haven't just made promises, we've delivered," said White House Press Secretary, Robert Gibbs.

Even some Republicans agree that this White House has delivered. Still, many Katrina victims are not happy that the President is making such a brief visit - before flying off to San Francisco for a fundraiser.