Daily Kos

'Brownie, you're doing a helluva job'

by kos

Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:27:55 AM PDT

Well, maybe he isn't.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown is being removed from his role managing Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, NBC News and The Associated Press reported Friday.

Two federal officials who wouldn't be identified told the AP that Brown is being sent back to Washington from Baton Rouge, La. He was the primary official overseeing the federal government's response to the disaster. NBC learned the same thing from a relief official.

He isn't being fired, just removed from doing his job. Which, um, is like being fired, but not firing him because that would mean Bush was wrong for praising Brown and would be akin to admitting a mistake (which our infallible president never does).

Or something like that.

Of course, the cynic would argue that Brown never did his job to begin with. And it would be quite a convincing argument.

And a reminder -- Bush appointed this guy without vetting him (he lied on his resume) because he was friends with his 2000 campaign manager. And Joe Lieberman, who controlled the committee first vetting Brown, gave the nominee high praise and pushed him through after less than an hour of questioning.

The wingers wanted this to be a bipartisan disaster. Good for Lieberman to oblige them.

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  •  Story Here Isn't That He's No Longer in Charge (4.00 / 2)

    It's that somebody may finally be in charge.

    That, and the taxpayers are now saving the cost of a hotel room in Baton Rouge.

    The revolution will not be televised, but we'll analyze it to death at The Next Hurrah.

    by DHinMI on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:28:27 AM PDT

    •  I wish I trusted Chertoff to appoint someone more (none / 0)

      competant, but I dont. On the other hand, most of the population could probably do a better job.

      It's a neighborly day in this beautywood. Relentless!

      by ablington on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:33:35 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Get this shell of a man out of my city (none / 0)

      He's been holed up in Baton Rouge since before the storm. The little bug.  

      I hope to god we get a capable replacement.  Our state needs rebuilding. That takes leadership.

      If it were up to Brownie, we may all have Arabian Horses to ride around Canal Street next year for Mardi Gras...

      GOODBYE and NO THANK YOU FOR THE FUBAR!

      John McCain: Crash Test Dummy

      by kubla000 on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:34:44 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  Don't let Brown be the Fall guy (4.00 / 9)

        b/c it's the guy who put in that position that needs to be the ultimate Fall Guy.

        Namely Bush.

        Yeah, Brown needs to be fired, investigated, sued, whatever.

        But don't let Bush get away with using one of his appointees to cover his sorry ass.

        The way he made Tenet take the fall for 9/11 (Tenet deserved criticism but Bush is where the buck stops)

        (re-posted this b/c i don't want us to be satisfied with this.  apologies.)

        Texas Kaos Take Back Texas

        Bush, What Price Did You Pay?

        by krazypuppy on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:41:30 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  You beat me (none / 0)

          I was just about to say the same thing.

          If your boss hires a buddy's buddy to be your supervisor and it turns out he's a complete moron, to whom to you direct your anger?
          The supervisor's just being himself.  Sure, he may have padded his resume a little, but he never said he was a supervisor in your field before.
          The boss, on the other hand, put cronyism before competency.  Put the 'Old Boys' network before the welfare of the company.
          In other words, you're pissed at your boss.

          "Soon the time will come when everybody's somebody, so nobody is anybody" - Catherine Wheel

          by grafton on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 11:07:13 AM PDT

          [ Parent ]

          •  You both beat me (none / 1)

            I heard on NPR that many people far from the Gulf are experiencing extreme anger or depression over this debacle. I can't stop thinking about dead babies and dehydrated children, so I'm probably in the latter category. What upsets me most about Bush is not the days that he sat on his butt in Crawford (or his bicycle) but the years of policies that put unqualified political pals in charge of FEMA -- with an anti-"government" philosophy that FEMA was an entitlement agency that needed to be taken down, at that! I mean, if emergency preparedness and response isn't a government responsibility, what is?
            Until recently, I had been telling Republican friends that what Bush did with his appointments would have been the equivalent of Bill Clinton putting James Carville in charge of FEMA. I love James Carvillle; he's funny and entertaining and I usually agree with him, but of course, he's no disaster expert and I'd hate to see him in that position. (And of course, Clinton did no such thing. He appointed James Lee Witt, the most qualified person possible.)
            But now, with this news about Brown's apparent resume fraud, even the Carville analogy is too weak.
            Not that any Bushie would be interested in my opinion, but if the administration is looking for a possible new FEMA director, or just someone to advise on a choice, I suggest Dave Liebersbach, a long-long-long-time emergency and wildfire manager who is one of the top in the nation. I have no idea what his political affiliation is, and that's how it should be.
            Sorry to rant and rant. I'm just depressed about all this (see above).

            by mtn mama on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 12:00:18 PM PDT

            [ Parent ]

        •  I'm pretty sure (none / 0)

          they're just grooming Brown to become the next Secretary of State.

          Condi "Imelda Marcos" Rice will then be moved up to V.P.  You know the rest.

          "Liberals feel unworthy of their possessions. Conservatives feel they deserve everything they've stolen."--Mort Sahl

          by jandey on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 11:09:52 AM PDT

          [ Parent ]

        •  I am reminded of (none / 0)

          the comment about a dancing dog. It's not that he does it well but that he's able to do it at all. That Brown et al. were able to keep dancing as long as they have is a miracle in itself.

          Michael Brown and the other political hacks at FEMA were appointed solely for their political allegiance to Bushco. Not one of them had any experience in emergency management. These hapless idiots were/are absolutely unable to perform in this capacity. The fault lies in George Bush's lap. George Bush needs to be held accountable for the incompetent manner in which this debacle was managed. Katrina did the inital damage. Bushco came in and administered the coup de grace. Shame on them all.

          by ellefarr on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 11:41:56 AM PDT

          [ Parent ]

          •  Political Hacks and Cronies (none / 0)

            are not limited to FEMA. Think about it - who's in charge of border security, weapons proliferation (now that Bolton's gone), diplomacy (speaking of Bolton), energy policy, the environment...?

            YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! - just so you know who I think should be running things.

            by wfeather on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 12:10:45 PM PDT

            [ Parent ]

    •  Joe Liebermans freinds are comin (none / 0)

      Out of the woodwork to defend him

      http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=8995

      http://dumpjoe.com/

      by ctkeith on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:35:48 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  I called Joe's office (4.00 / 2)

        they had no comment on whether or not Joe still has "high praise" for Brownie. I told the staffer to tell Joe we don't want him anymore, ask him to please switch parties. I said what is the point of being in the opposition party if all you do is rubber stamp everything Dubya does?

        I don't care that they take all the money, it's the hypocrisy I despise

        by dakrle on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 11:07:09 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  Lieberman: Republican Puppet (none / 0)

          I've been disgusted with him ever since the night after the State of the Union when dubya very visibly grabbed Lieberman and gave him a HUGE KISS on his way out!! Then the next night, I was watching CSPAN and Senator Dodd's speech against the appointment of Gonzalez, when a ticker 'neath came streaming by saying that one of the SIX dems who voted FOR Gonsalez was.............. LIEBERMAN!!

          "We are continually faced with great opportunities which are brilliantly disguised as unsolvable problems." -- Margaret Mead

          by flashlass on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 01:49:55 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

    •  Sorry but... (4.00 / 2)

      ...the story IS that Brown will not be in charge. First of all, we know nothing about Vice Adm Allen. But more importantly, Brownie cannot be characterized as having been effective if they are taking these duties away from him. If he was not effective, then how can they keep him as Allen's boss?

      There is still a vacuum of leadership at FEMA because it is still Brown in charge. And when he's gone, his boss needs to be held accountable for putting politcal patronage before human life.

      • • Get Your John McCain - NOPE T-Shirts & Stickers
      •

      by KingOneEye on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:36:34 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  My Point Is That On Paper... (none / 1)

        ...he may have "been in charge," but in reality, he was so utterly incompetent that nobody was in charge.  

        The revolution will not be televised, but we'll analyze it to death at The Next Hurrah.

        by DHinMI on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:39:04 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

      •  Powell Next? (none / 0)


        Colin Powell, the former U.S. secretary of state seen as a potential leader for Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts, has joined the chorus of Americans criticizing the disaster response at all levels of government.
        ADVERTISEMENT
        click here

        "There have been a lot of failures at a lot of levels -- local, state and federal," Powell said in an ABC interview for the "20/20" program to be broadcast on Friday evening.

        John McCain: Crash Test Dummy

        by kubla000 on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:39:17 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

      •  They are fast when they want to be (none / 0)

        Bush and company are fast when they want to be

        from
        Talking Points Memo

        (September 07, 2005 -- 02:27 AM EDT / link /

        THESE GUYS ARE always one step ahead of you.
        Back on Monday I told you how the Bush crony catastrophe contracts bonanza would be so big it might even tempt Bush fixer Joe Allbaugh to bring his influence-peddling racket back stateside.

        Well, as TPM Reader JV points out, that ship's already sailed.

        This article from the September 1st edition of the Post noted that Allbaugh was already in Louisiana "helping coordinate the private-sector response to the storm."

        Now, if you figure that an article that appeared on the September 1st was probably reported out on Wednesdy August 31st, perhaps this is one of those cases that show how the public sector just can't match the pace of the private sector, seeing as Allbaugh seems to have beaten most of the folks from FEMA, the agency he ran before handing it off to Michael Brown, into the disaster area.

        I also must confess that I'd been so focused on Allbaugh's Iraq operation, that I had lost track of what he was up to on the domestic rain-making activities.

        First, there's Blackwell Fairbanks, the outfit he set up with Andrew Lundquist, the guy who ran Vice President Cheney's energy policy task force. And then of course there's Allbaugh's main shop, The Allbaugh Company, the one Haley Barbour helped him set up along with New Bridge Strategies, the Iraq venture.

        I figure he's in Louisiana wearing the Allbaugh Company hat, seeing as how a few months back he signed on as a lobbyist for Halliburton subsidiary KBR to "educate the congressional and executive branch on defense, disaster relief and homeland security issues."

        -- Josh Marshall

        ................

        Hurricane Katrina Versus Florida's hurricanes--very different response by Bush, FEMA, Brown

        The politics of hurricane relief
        In 2004, swing-state Florida voters slammed by hurricanes received lots of help and close personal attention from President Bush. But there's no election this year.

        salon.com
        by Eric Boehler

        http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2005/09/05/hurricane_track_record/print.html

        ....The White House has received sharp criticism for its slow response to the New Orleans catastrophe. But last year Bush and his inner circle were remarkably proactive during storm season....

        ...On Sunday's "Meet the Press," an emotional Aaron Broussard, president of Louisiana's badly flooded Jefferson Parish, complained that federal officials had told him, "'The cavalry's coming, the cavalry's coming, the cavalry's coming.' I have just begun to hear the hoofs of the cavalry."

        By comparison, in 2004 the FEMA cavalry was roaming all over Florida, including parts almost completely untouched by the hurricanes, such as Miami-Dade County. Within weeks of Hurricane Frances hitting the Florida coast, 19,500 residents of Miami-Dade applied for disaster relief. FEMA quickly approved 9,000 of the claims and set aside $28.9 million in tax-free grants to help them rebuild.

        But rebuild from what? Frances never hit Miami-Dade. Locally, top sustained winds the day the storm struck only reached 47 mph and did minimal damage to just a handful of buildings. Just 5 percent of county residents even lost power, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, which uncovered FEMA's unusual largess. The newspaper reported that within two days of Frances' arrival FEMA officials knew Miami-Dade had been unscathed, and yet the checks soon flowed into the county. "They were just doling out this money like it was Christmas," a spokeswoman for Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Fla., told the Sun-Sentinel....

        ..."The story on the ground was not Bush's hand-holding. Rather, it was FEMA's performance. By the end of September, three hurricanes later, the agency had processed 646,984 registrations for assistance with the help of phone lines operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Fifty-five shelters, 31 disaster recovery centers and six medical teams were in operation across the state."

        In other words, FEMA was in overdrive.

        Standing alongside Florida's Gov. Jeb Bush at a press conference on Sept. 3 as Hurricane Frances approached, Brown bragged, "FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security are bringing in literally thousands of assets to respond to Hurricane Frances. Two of the most important things that we're doing are to focus on life-sustaining and lifesaving efforts."

        many green, yellow, blue and now purple dogs are a majority.

        by Prove Our Democracy with Paper Ballots on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 07:04:18 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

    •  James Lee Witt (none / 0)

      It will be him, if "they" have any sense.

      Let all the dreamers wake the nation.

      by Nancy in LA on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:38:10 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  Kathleen already made a good executive decision (none / 0)

        Bush can't be seen following Kathleen's lead... My only hope is that Powell is tapped.

        John McCain: Crash Test Dummy

        by kubla000 on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:40:22 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

      •  Never (4.00 / 2)

        He'd be great, but other than Norm Maneta, they haven't looked to a single person from the Clinton administration for anything.  

        Besides, he's "with the enemy," because Blanco hired him as an advisor about a week ago.

        The revolution will not be televised, but we'll analyze it to death at The Next Hurrah.

        by DHinMI on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:40:28 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  Right (none / 0)

          I suppose that would have been way too sensible and bipartisan of them.  Remind me, when are the adults back from their extended absence?  We've been putting up with the children's bad behavior for too long.  I just can't wait three more years.

          Let all the dreamers wake the nation.

          by Nancy in LA on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 11:41:51 AM PDT

          [ Parent ]

      •  However, I am worried (none / 0)

        saw a press conference today in New Orleans by city officials re the recovery (of the dead) process.  They stated that FEMA was in total control of the recovery process and had hired a Guiliani disaster firm to assist.  Ugh.

        No press (O.K. I can understand not wanting pictures of dead bodies being taken out of specific houses being broadcast) in at all, no numbers will be released, and no city police, national guard or state gov't people will be involved at all.

        that sounds like Witt and Blanco have been pushed aside.  Will we ever get real fatality numbers?

        by GrandmaJ on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 11:07:41 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

    •  CNN is reporting . . . (4.00 / 2)

      that Brownie is heading back to DC to "oversee the big picture."

      Words fail me at this precise moment. So I'll leave it at that.

      Tell your healthcare and insurance horror stories at Guaranteed Healthcare

      by nyceve on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:47:21 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Story Here is Planned Incompetence (none / 0)

      The reason Bush said Brownie was doing a heck of a job is because really thought that.

      Brownie is/was the epitome of the Bush White House corporate culture. Act like you are a professional while you dismantle the department from within.

      Brownie was just doing what every other bright light in the administration was doing. Taking apart the once proud US government from within.

      Why legislate or vote for smaller government when you can just jump in the boat and start scuttling from inside?

      But why Brownie sacrificial and not Rove?

      Oh yeah, cause the mainstream media didn't seem to give a shit about Rove.

      Thanks so much NYT, WSJ, WaPo, etc., etc.

      "The best way to determine what a person wants is by surveying what he gets." -Erle Stanley Gardner

      by KOTCrum on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 01:39:19 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Oy Oy Oy (none / 0)

      Here ye Here ye Here ye: Michael brown of FEMA does not know why he has been removed!! Read on this piece of good news: "A beleaguered Michael Brown said Friday he doesn't know why he was removed from his onsite command of Hurricane Katrina relief efforts".

      Now, who in his right mind would remove him?? I can't seem to fathom. Do you have any idea?

      by Shuvo Dutta on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 02:52:47 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  So who's going to be in charge now? (none / 0)

    And if he is not in fact fired, what IS his status?

    "I must admit that I don't see a bright tomorrow; still, I must also confess that my hopes are fairly high"--Ass Ponys, "Fighter Pilot"

    by oxymoron on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:28:31 AM PDT

    •  status = "resign now, please" (4.00 / 2)

      Brown will now resign.  That's how they do it.

      by Torta on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:30:03 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  A Coast Guard Vice Admiral (none / 0)

      Same guy who oversaw the rescue efforts.

      The revolution will not be televised, but we'll analyze it to death at The Next Hurrah.

      by DHinMI on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:32:11 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  Heh (none / 0)

        McClellan did not directly answer a question about whether the president had full confidence in Brown.

        "We appreciate all those who are working round the clock, and that's the way I would answer it," he said.

        Heh.  In other words, Scotty, the answer is "No".

        "All progress depends on the unreasonable man." -- George Bernard Shaw

        by Bearpaw on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:37:42 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  The Culture of Half-Speak (none / 1)

          Of course, McClellan's words were tantamount to disclaiming confidence in Brown, but why should the MSM - and our culture in general - tolerate this sort of half-speak?  When the response to questions from the public and its representatives becomes an accepted art of communication by implication, evasion and digression, it means that people are not insisting on the straightforward truth.  There may be times when courtesy demands a gentle touch, but this is not one of them.

          The tolerance for this sort of degraded expression by public officials goes back at least to the days of "the Great Communicator", whom news reports often cited as "signalling" rather than "stating" his views.

          Government spokespersons should be made to understand that when they resort to the sort of half-speak quoted above, they are also communicating that there is only half-thought going on the government they represent.

          Democrats: Members of the Democratic Party working to advance democracy; Republicons: Members of the Republicanist Party working to advance Republicanism

          by word is bond on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:59:17 AM PDT

          [ Parent ]

          •  Brown at least did some full-speak (none / 0)

            yesterday or the day before.  He said something like, "I serve solely at the pleasure of the President."  He clearly and succintly passed the buck to Dubya.

            Maybe that's why he's being pushed aside -- he's not good at waffling.

            We're all pretty strange one way or another; some of us just hide it better. "Normal" is a dryer setting.

            by david78209 on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 11:15:00 AM PDT

            [ Parent ]

          •  David Gregory Called Scottie on It (none / 1)

            ...in the WH briefing yesterday, telling Scottie that he was not answering his question on whether Bush had confidence in the Horse Judge.  He repeated his questions about four times after getting non-responses, and he was outspoken and persistent.  Here's the link to Crooks and Liars where they have the video.

            Still, I generally agree with your point that half-truths, evasions and digressions are unacceptable in public officials, especially a press secretary.

            ...that may not be God talking to you, George

            by daxie on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 11:20:53 AM PDT

            [ Parent ]

          •  MSM was remarkably assertive... (none / 0)

            on the subject of "Drownie's" competence.  Maureen Dowd called him a "blithering idiot" on the op-ed page of the Times.  That had to get W.'s (or at least Rove's) attention.  

            by Swoosh on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 01:37:51 PM PDT

            [ Parent ]

          •  doesnt (none / 0)

            McClellan look like Charlie McCarthy......i see the resemblence

            a little top hat and tails and a pair of Condi's shoes....

            He may talk like an idiot, and look like an idiot, but don't let that fool you: he really is an idiot...Groucho Marx

            by distributorcap on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 03:26:40 PM PDT

            [ Parent ]

    •  He is going to be promoted...... (none / 0)

      to the politburo. What else do you do with a incompetent with some political clout?

      George "Jubilation T. Cornpone" Bush - "When we almost had 'em but the issue still was in doubt, Who suggested the retreat that turned it into a rout?"

      by pelarson on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 11:37:00 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  Medal of Freedom (none / 0)

    Brownie is probably being sent to Washington to receive his Medal of Freedom.

    by wheycooler on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:28:39 AM PDT

  •  Our "government" (4.00 / 2)

    is a bipartisan disaster.

    -6.63 -5.64

    I am I and you are you, and we are both each other too -- Clair Huffaker

    by xysrl on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:29:17 AM PDT

  •  Who is suprised Faux News had it wrong (none / 0)

    They said he'd been fired.

    He's still with FEMA.

    All aboard the O train!

    by xyz on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:29:21 AM PDT

  •  Can't he (none / 0)

    just fire him?

    Not like we all don't know Brownie did "a heck of a job"

    I look for Brownie to get a job with a developer in NO now as a reward for moving all the poor out. (just my tinfoil thought of the day)

    If I want feel good, happy, happy I will smoke a joint. For President I want a real plan.

    by J Rae on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:29:33 AM PDT

  •  It's Friday afternoon! (4.00 / 5)

    Slip it under the rug time!

    by peregrina on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:30:01 AM PDT

  •  Katrina (4.00 / 21)

    Click to watch:

    On August 26, 2005, President Bush declared a "State of Emergency" in Louisiana. A day later he did the same for Mississippi. The hurricane hit on August 29, 2005, three days later.

    His declarations made Hurricane Katrina an "Incident of National Significance." The National Response Plan (NRP) defines an Incident of National Significance as:

    an actual or potential high-impact event that requires a coordinated and effective response by and appropriate combination of Federal, State, local, tribal, nongovernmental, and/or private-sector entities in order to save lives and minimize damage, and provide the basis for long-term community recovery and mitigation activities.

    The critical point is here:

    "ALL PRESIDENTIALLY DECLARED DISASTERS AND EMERGENCIES UNDER THE STAFFORD ACT ARE CONSIDERED INCIDENTS OF NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE." (NRP, 7)

    Furthermore the NRP states:

    When an incident or potential incident is of such severity, magnitude, and/or complexity that it is considered an Incident of National Significance, the Secretary of Homeland Security initiates actions to prepare for, respond to, and recover from the incident." (NHP, 15)

    And so from August 26th onward the President already had declared he was lead via the NRP mandate. Because in the plan, which is a security assurance given to every state in this Nation, it says the President will lead in Incidents of National Significance. It says the President will order the Secretary of Defense to deploy troops, without a request from the local officials. It says the President directs the Secretary of Homeland Security and leads him in responding "effectively" to disasters.

    So if they really want to hang their collective hat on the notion that 2 days after Bush already declared the NRP into effect, where he was now responsible to lead the proactive response to do what needed to be done, that somehow he was begging the local and state authorities to declare an evacuation... well they are welcome to it, because we already know that for three full days prior to the storm hitting, Bush was in charge via the NRP, and he could have forced the evac two days prior if he wanted to since he was so "Johnny on the spot" and in control, and because of the NRP already being in effect, he already had every legal authority and was already the one responsible.

    Download the flash movie at the top of this post and pass it along (or pass along the URL, www.wiseass.org/katrina.html)

    cheers,

    Mitch Gore

    Wanna win in '08...?

    Put your money where your mouth is.

    by Lestatdelc on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:30:17 AM PDT

  •  Blogosphere strikes again! (none / 0)

    Wading through all the Brown diaries has been well worth it, folks!

    I truly believe we have a direct hit here!

    Could never convice me that this move is due to mainstream media buzz.

    "War is the calculated and condoned slaughter of human beings". Harry Patch, age 109, WWI veteran.

    by skwimmer on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:30:26 AM PDT

  •  serious (none / 0)

    This, more than any poll, tell us how deep the current crisis runs.  

    No one with a personal connection to the Bush crowd lost a position after September 11th, after Iraq, after abu Ghraib.  As The Daily Show so memorably mocked, they all got medals.  "Stay there and brazenly deny reality" has been the administration's m.o. from the start.  To deviate from that now shows they're in uncharted, dangerous territory.

    by demtom on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:30:27 AM PDT

  •  You know what? (none / 0)

    I'll take this much, for now.  

    by these truths on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:30:31 AM PDT

  •  mark fiore - Whoopsi Gras (4.00 / 3)

    http://www.markfiore.com/animation/gras.html

    by peter jung on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:30:55 AM PDT

  •  This was criminal (none / 0)

    negligence, and if the Committee was complicit, the accountability should be shared.

    Pennacchio for Pennsylvania

    by PAprogressive on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:30:56 AM PDT

  •  BBC (none / 0)

    Gotta love the Beeb... they're reporting this story as I type.

    Now all we need is a new FEMA head.  Unfortunately, that won't happen as long as Brownie's still in the post.

    But then why would Junior appoint someone to head up a department he's trying to dismantle?

    DONATE! / HillarysVoice

    by Alegre on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:31:05 AM PDT

  •  When he gets back... (none / 0)

    ... to Washington, let's hope they put him in charge of Bush's PR.

    hink

    Hyperbole will be the death of us all!

    by MrHinkyDink on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:31:10 AM PDT

  •  Mexico City News: NOLA a Time Bomb (4.00 / 4)

    Several of you asked that I repost this to discussion lists.  It's a translation I made of an article in yesterday's La Jornada.  It's an incredibly lucid and powerful indictment.

    "New Orleans and the Time Bomb," by Angel Guerra Cabrera, La Jornada, September 8, 2005

    The thousands of inert human corpses floating on or submerged beneath the water in New Orleans could just as easily be those of living beings housed in care centers hundreds of kilometers from the city, and even though confronted by an uncertain future, at least still be alive.  How many dreams, hopes, loves, endearments, plans and experiences are now buried forever, not really beneath the flood, a consequence that was widely predicted would occur if a large hurricane struck the mythical city of the Mississippi, but rather buried by the insensibility of the gang now governing in the United States, by its marriage to capital, by its undervaluing the lives of the poor.  We won't consider here other perspectives on and causes of this debacle but just the high cost in lives and human suffering and the destruction of a priceless piece of the cultural patrimony.  Let's center on one aspect: was there an effective plan of evacuation and the political will to make it work so that not even a single person would die?  This is the least that one could expect from the richest and most powerful country in the world, one that possesses more than adequate means of transport and that dedicates billions of dollars supposedly to preserve the security of its citizens.

    But no, the slogan of the authorities was "Save yourself if you can!" as they pretended ignorance of those, mostly blacks, who did not have cars or money or a place to which to escape.  Indeed, tens of thousands, are now accused of having chosen to remain.  Some drowned and others went days stricken by hunger and thirst in locales where no one came to rescue them.  When the indolence of the authorities before this drama turned into a huge national scandal that gravely threatened the image of Bush II, aid slowly began to flow.

    We should not be surprised that this would occur in a capitalistic system, where the main thing is the accumulation of wealth for a minority.  In the current stage of capitalism known as neoliberalism, this seminal trait of the system has been exaggerated to the extreme with the "weakening" of the government, the replacement of a politics of social assistance by that of the "invisible hand" of the market, the replacement of what were once public services with the good will of the corporations and the non-profits.  What a grotesque spectacle it was to see the two, Bush and William Clinton, begging private donations from the White House, center of a power that wastes in enterprises of death thousands of times more than that which is required to rebuild New Orleans and to sustain the dispossessed during the time necessary for reconstruction.  The people of the imperium who exempt millionaires and huge businesses from taxes, who maintain hundreds of military bases around the world, who occupy countries for the benefit of a few, how grotesque it was to see them begging for crumbs for the damned.

    The disaster of New Orleans reveals the profound moral crisis that cuts through the State and the dominant class of the United States.  During recent decades, and particularly during the government of the "eternal vacationer," funds for health, social security, community services and even for the agency in charge of protection against disasters have been severely cut.  All the resources are insufficient where the politics of war is the main concern, and this is why the dikes that held back Lake Ponchartrain were not reinforced.  The influence of this fanatically greedy cult also explains how hundreds of square kilometers of wetlands--indispensable for the ecological equilibrium of the area and to protect the city from storm surges--were sacrificed to real estate speculation.   Under Bush, who refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, the dangers of global warning are held in contempt in order not to prejudice the exorbitant gains of the US oil companies.  As a consequence, the temperature of the sea continues to rise, a fact that makes probable more and more hurricanes of this unusual intensity.  In sum, it wasn't Katrina that destroyed New Orleans; it was greed, racism, and the government's abandonment of its responsibilities.

    This disaster also reveals the existence of the growing third world inside of the superpower, an existence whose magnitude has made it possible for the middle class of the US to see it for the first time on their TV screens.  This is a reality that will not interest the mainstream media nor please those enjoy the privileges of the "American way of life," but it is a time bomb that could explode the system.

    by vertgalant on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:31:22 AM PDT

  •  no WH press briefing until Mon, I am sure.. n/t (none / 0)

    Ask Three Poeple a Day: What Noble Cause?

    by Random Excess on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:31:22 AM PDT

  •  Brown's Been Booted Off the Lifeboat (none / 0)

    Who's next?

    by Patricia Taylor on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:31:24 AM PDT

  •  MSNBC reported (none / 0)

    that he had been intending to retire in November, at the end of the hurrican season anyway.  So, it looks like he's just being sent back to DC to sit in his office until he can slip away after the storm passes, so to speak.

    "How exquisitely human was the wish for permanent happiness, and how thin human imagination became trying to achieve it." -- Toni Morrison, Paradise

    by orbitguy on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:31:29 AM PDT

  •  So.... (none / 0)

    I guess having Joe Allbaugh appoint all his buds to the top posts at FEMA didn't work well after all. But the man at the the top  must still answer for these lackluster appointments. Oh George??

    *John McCain is aware of the Internet*

    by MichaelPH on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:31:38 AM PDT

  •  Blinkie...blinked!!! (none / 0)

    he's toast.

    McCain is not a moderate, a maverick, or a man of integrity.

    by marjo on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:31:47 AM PDT

  •  1000 miles closer to.... (none / 0)

    getting his medal of freedom award. For a slam and a dunk of a different sort.

    by harveybushell on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:32:08 AM PDT

  •  What changed (3.85 / 7)

    Ask the Preznit:

    What did Brownie do between the time you said, "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job" and this moment to cause his removal?

    He was doing a heck of a job just last week when FEMA was nowhere to be found.  Now FEMA is all over New Orleans and you're firing Brownie?  Was letting FEMA do its job counter to your wishes Mr. Preznit?

    John McCain to his second wife after she teased him about his hair loss: At least I don't plaster on the makeup like a trollop, you c-nt!

    by Dotty Gale on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:32:17 AM PDT

    •  Polls and the Mainstream media doing their job (none / 0)

      by Nes on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:44:03 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  Re: Polls and the Mainstream media doing their job (none / 0)

        "Polls and the Mainstream media doing their job"

        That's the truth but has the Preznit ever told the truth?  The answer is "No".

        Since the Preznit will never admit to doing what the polls tell him to do, I want to hear the excuse that Simple Scotty comes up with to justify removing "Brownie".

        Since he's not being "Fired", they can't say that it's because of his amazingly fraudulent resume.

        John McCain to his second wife after she teased him about his hair loss: At least I don't plaster on the makeup like a trollop, you c-nt!

        by Dotty Gale on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 11:18:52 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

  •  Now if we could just remove the rest. . . (none / 0)

    . . . that didn't do their jobs, it would be a good start.

    Try my dream: President Obama

    by MrSandman on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:32:46 AM PDT

  •  Bush (none / 0)

    just can't fire anybody.  Unless they are fat or won't lie for them.  Two months from now Brown will resign to spend time with his family or go work for the RNC or be appointed to another agency. But, he will never be fired.

    Free Barney!

    by demkat620 on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:33:09 AM PDT

  •  WHAT?! (4.00 / 9)

    WHO made this decision?

    Isn't it a little early for finger pointing?

    Brown has a serious job to do!

    What is this "blame game" shit?

    by reef the dog on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:33:10 AM PDT

    •  Your laser-like logic (none / 0)

      would not be welcome in the Oval Office :-)

      I think "The West Wing" spoiled so many of us, didnt it.

      The meetings in the Bush Oval Office would embarass even Dan Quayle.  

      I wonder if they just sit around, dipping tabacah, chawing the fat, say yes Bubba to Bush-lite and think it was a productive day.

      My god, this is all so elementary, they have admitted their mistakes in the most passive aggresive way possible.

      Utter Amateurs!

      I blog, a lot: green - Humble Garden and black - peaknix - living the peak.

      by nika7k on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:59:49 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  Dream WH press conference (3.85 / 7)

    David Gregory to McClellan:

    "Isn't the president playing the "blame game" by removing Brown?"

    I can dream can't I?  Seriously though I thought we didn't have time to look at the probelems.  Those reviews will come later.  (unless poll numbers are sinking like a rock).  These people are so full of shit.

    by pat7724 on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:33:14 AM PDT

  •  As I said on another thread... (4.00 / 2)

    Journalists should be asking this question at the next briefing if everything holds as is:

    "If Hurricane Ophelia were to make a landfall in the U.S., would Michael Brown be in charge of that effort and, if so, would the Bush administration have their full faith in him?"

    Chris

    My Blog: "Hard, Cutting"

    by CHFDigital on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:33:15 AM PDT

  •  I just posted this on (none / 0)

    the diary thread about Brown, but it's worth repeating here.

    LISTEN to the media spewing out the Rovean talking points:

    Kyra Phillips on CNN was the worst (surprise): "Brown is flying back to Washington so operations on the ground can be directed by one official." (Brownie was obviously "more than one.")

    But MSNBC also had this snippet:  "Brown had said he wanted to retire after the Hurricane Season was over anyway." (It's over? Really? Anyone tell Ophelia that?)

    Political Cortex

    by btyarbro on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:34:12 AM PDT

    •  Well ... (none / 0)

      But MSNBC also had this snippet:  "Brown had said he wanted to retire after the Hurricane Season was over anyway."

      If he thinks it is, that'd be about par for the course.

      "All progress depends on the unreasonable man." -- George Bernard Shaw

      by Bearpaw on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:49:33 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  with pay (none / 0)

    Being fired with Pay!

    Must be nice.

    --Come to Denver in 2008! www.recreate68.org

    by COBear on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:34:17 AM PDT

    •  Yep! (none / 0)

       BTW how much does he get a year anyway? Also I guess if he gets to retire he will walk away with a huge retirement pkg while the survivors of NOLA get a measley 2K check in the mail and a "hit the road jack kick" in the ass?

      "The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality." --Dante

      by arkdem on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:49:20 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  My contempt for Joe Lieberman (none / 0)

    Has just reached new heights.  Or depths, as it were.  

    "In a republic this rule ought to be observed: that the majority should not have the predominant power." - Cicero -6.75 -3.64

    by KOWALSKI on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 10:35:22 AM PDT

  •  Even Sensenbrenner gets this one (none / 1)

    Wisconsin Rep. F. Everyone Sensenbrenner, on radio in Milwaukee this morning, said "I think FEMA's performance stinks" and Brown should be fired.  We think the same a