Sean Penn - 40, Right wing pundits - 0

Virtually all pundits on the right have been having fun scoffing at Sean Penn's rescue efforts in New Orleans. The problem is, he actually managed to save people, and all they've done is blame the victims for not leaving.

Salvaging Sean Penn's Boat
Sean Penn is a big target. But to dozens stranded in flooded New Orleans, he was said to be an even bigger help.

"I witnessed him rescuing up to 40 people," presidential historian and author Douglas Brinkley told the New York Daily News. "He was up to his waist in toxic muck...I'm not going to comment on Sean's trips to Iraq or Iran, but in this case, he was an American hero."

[snip]

Brinkley, a professor at New Orleans' own Tulane University who accompanied Penn on his voyage through the under-water city, was among the first to denounce the report. "There was never a leak," he said in the Daily News. On Larry King Live, Penn concurred: "The boat never sank."

According to Brinkley, the boat did take on water--because it was "overloaded" with storm survivors. According to Penn, his "entourage" consisted of "a couple of friends." (The actor's camp denied the existence of the "personal photographer.")