Jackson Free Press

Former FEMA director Michael Brown aggressively defended his role in responding to Hurricane Katrina on Tuesday and blamed most coordination failures on Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin. ... His efforts to shift blame drew sharp criticism from Democratic and Republican lawmakers alike. "I'm happy you left," said Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn. "That kind of look in the lights like a deer tells me you weren't capable of doing that job."

Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss., told Brown: "The disconnect was, people thought there was some federal expertise out there. There wasn't. Not from you."

Previous Commentsshow

Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job. Now, the bigger question: Is this the first phase of the Bush administration's handpicked "investigation" (or, as we proles call it, damage control) which will inevitably find, to everyone's astonishment, that Democratic elected officials (with Republican opponents waiting in the wings) are to blame, or is this a sort of reconnaissance mission to see whether the strategy backfires or not? If it is recon, then this may tell the Bush administration to go with another strategy--namely, to stop talking about the mismanagement altogether and hope that everybody else does, too. Cheers, TH

Tom Head

Sep 27 2005

So what does an unqualified crony do when he screws up? An angry Michael Brown blamed the Louisiana governor, the New Orleans mayor and even the Bush White House that appointed him for the dismal response to Hurricane Katrina in a fiery appearance Tuesday before Congress. In response, lawmakers alternately lambasted and mocked the former FEMA director. House members' scathing treatment of Brown, in a hearing stretching nearly six and a half hours, underscored how he has become an emblem of the deaths, lingering floods and stranded survivors after the Aug. 29 storm. Well aware of President Bush's sunken poll ratings, legislators of both parties tried to distance themselves from the federal preparations for Katrina, as well as from the storm's aftermath. Brown admitted making mistakes during the storm and subsequent flooding that devastated large swaths of the Gulf Coast. But he accused New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco, both Democrats, of fostering chaos by failing to order a mandatory evacuation more than a day before Katrina hit. "My biggest mistake was not recognizing by Saturday that Louisiana was dysfunctional," Brown told a special panel set up by House Republican leaders to investigate the catastrophe. which killed more than 1,000 people across Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. "I very strongly personally regret that I was unable to persuade Governor Blanco and Mayor Nagin to sit down, get over their differences and work together. I just couldn't pull that off." Brown also said he warned Bush, White House chief of staff Andrew Card and deputy chief of staff Joe Hagin that "this is going to be a bad one" in e-mails and phone conversations leading up to the storm. Under pointed questioning, he said some needs outlined to the White House, Pentagon and Homeland Security Department were not answered in "the timeline that we requested." Blanco vehemently denied that she waited until the eve of the storm to order an evacuation of New Orleans. She said her order came on the morning of Aug. 27 - two days before the storm - resulting in 1.3 million people evacuating the city. "Such falsehoods and misleading statements, made under oath before Congress, are shocking," Blanco said in a statement. Nagin said in New Orleans, "I think it's too early to get into name-blame and all that stuff. ... I think the feds, local, state, all across the board, did not have the processes to deal with a storm of this magnitude." White House spokesman Scott McClellan said, "It's important that Congress move forward and do a thorough investigation of what went wrong and what went right and look at lessons learned." Full story

DonnaLadd

Sep 27 2005

Well, clearly he's not doing recon. My gosh. Had no idea he'd turn on the people who appointed him that quickly. Sounds as if he'd blame the Dallas Cowboys if he thought it would take heat off him. Heck of a job, Brownie, heck of a job. Cheers, TH

Tom Head

Sep 27 2005

When I read that article, I got SO angry. He sounds like a twelve year old blaming his toys being broken on the kids down the street. Is there ANYONE in this administration that understands "accountability" is just as much a part of the job as DOING SOMETHING? Obviously, no. As evidenced by the horribly uncomfortable "I think I just ate something bad" look on Bush's face when he "took responsibility". And Brownie's inability to JUST ADMIT HE FURKED UP. I read this article a few moments ago. With Congress dangling as much as $200 billion in hurricane-related aid, lobbyists for oil companies, airlines, manufacturers and others are clamoring to get their share. "It's been all Katrina all the time, and now it's Rita, too," said J. Steven Hart, chairman of Williams & Jensen PLLC, a top lobbying firm in the capital. "Except for the Supreme Court, hurricane recovery is what Congress will be up to so we have no choice but to adapt. Lawmakers are receptive to many of these requests, congressional aides said. For example, House Energy and Commerce committee chair Joe Barton (R-Texas) is moving legislation this week -- much of it recommended by lobbyists -- that would waive regulations to help oil companies build new refineries. The reason: the hurricanes drew attention to the nation's dependence on a small row of Gulf coast refineries. The vultures are beginning to circle. And when I say vultures, I mean Barbour's little friends... Someone tell me they are as frustrated as I am...so I don't think my homicidal rage is really "out there."

Lori G

Sep 28 2005

The vultures are beginning to circle. What was it Duke said in today's Doonesbury? "There's no bidness like no-bidness."

Rex

Sep 28 2005

Vultures = Outrage. Would the real Haley Barbour please stand up? With him, the needs of corporations, (uh, former) lobbying clients and buddies in D.C. *always* take precedent over Mississippians. Some thought it was different this time. Yeah, right. Barbour for president. Rolling eyes.

DonnaLadd

Sep 28 2005

What they aren't telling you, is the very legislation that will enable them to "put refineries into business" is the SAME environmental KILLING legislation that is causing global warming. We don't have MORE refineries because the environmental regulations on them make them VERY hard to just "put up". So, let's waive all that Earth saving legislation, put refineries in the midwest, and when all these fabulous storms come back bigger and better due to even MORE environmental damage, well....AT LEAST WE'LL ALL HAVE GAS AND THE BUSH'S WILL STILL MAKE THEIR MONEY. Because, that's what this country is all about, right?

Lori G

Sep 28 2005

Ali, but that's science. There is no place for science in unbridled capitalism. If a scientist comes up something that industry doesn't want to hear, they suddenly are deemed a nutball. MIT is fill with nutballs, you know. Science, yuck. Refineries, rad. There is no great legacy than having an oil tanker named after one.

DonnaLadd

Sep 28 2005

Personally, Ladd, I'd rather have a pair of shoes named after me...;) Maybe a pair of Very Expensive shoes I could waive in the face of thousands of starving and dying people.... I know..."Let Them Eat Shoes..." (that will be the name of a column) I know that me being female leads me to "emotional outbursts" and all. ;) But, despite that handicap, I do so try to live my life LOGICALLY. The very reason I dislike the Bush Administration SO MUCH (and people really don't understand the depth of my hatred) is because "THEY DON'T MAKE NO SENSE." It is the Oxymoronic Administration. Conservative compassion? Storms that are the consequence of global warming leading to waiving environmental legislation? Wanting to cut taxes but paying out the nose on No-Bid contracts? Going to war to create peace? Iraq actually making LESS barrels of oil per day since our occupation then they were before? (since, you know, we were there to "stabilize the regions OIL FIELDS", not people) They just don't make no sense.

Lori G

Sep 28 2005

If you guys didn't see the fact check ABC News did on Brown's statements yesterday, you should check it out. The facts speak for themselves.

thabian

Sep 28 2005

"Let Them Eat Shoes" Snicker, chortle, snort. They do make sense if you're a multinational corporation ... or an oil tanker.

DonnaLadd

Sep 28 2005