Fmr. N.Y. Gov. Pataki weighs in on the city's response to Sandy

Nearly 6.6 million people are still without electricity in 15 states and Washington D.C. this morning, with nearly 2 million of them in New York, where flooded subways mean that transportation remains at a virtual standstill.

Starting Point panelists Fmr. Gov. George Pataki, Richard Socarides, and Ben Smith weigh in on the city's response to the natural disaster on the show this morning.

"At some point it’s appropriate to figure out what went wrong and how can we make sure it doesn't happen again but first we have to get through the crisis," Pataki says. "At this point, all the effort has to be on public safety and trying to restore power, transportation and the other essential needs of the people affected.

The panel also discusses Mayor Bloomberg's use of the Spanish language when relying emergency messages to the public.

“It has a huge impact," Gov. Pataki says. "Even if you manage the pronunciation or get the grammar wrong, the fact that you’re making the effort counts enormously.”