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CNN: Brown Resigns from FEMA

By Last Night in Little Rock, Section Huricanes Katrina and Rita
Posted on Mon Sep 12, 2005 at 12:16:48 PM EST
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by Last Night in Little Rock

CNN just reported Michael Brown resigned as head of the Federal Emergency Mismanagement Agency.

Al Franken said today that if Brown were smarter, he would be on suicide watch.

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    CNN: Brown Resigns from FEMA | 21 comments (21 topical)
    Re: CNN: Brown Resigns from FEMA (none / 0) (#1)
    by Dadler on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:42 PM EST
    To repeat, he is quoted as saying he did so "in the interest of the agency and the president." But no quote about the best interest of the nation, or those directly affected. Bushco man and lackey to the end. I just want what's best for King George. Good riddance, I only wish you could take all your bosses with you.

    Re: CNN: Brown Resigns from FEMA (none / 0) (#2)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:42 PM EST
    Here is what he had to say: I’m the Victim
    I don’t mind the negative press (well, actually, I do, but I try to ignore it) but it is really wearing out the family. No wonder people don’t go into public service. This country is devouring itself, the 24-hour news cycle is numbing our ability to think for ourselves.
    think progress via atrios

    Re: CNN: Brown Resigns from FEMA (none / 0) (#3)
    by mpower1952 on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:42 PM EST
    Now that Brown is out, who's running FEMA? He was sent back to DC to handle all the other FEMA problems. Since several top FEMA people are crony appointments, will they have to pick from outside the agency and will those other nitwits have to resign also? Let's hope so.

    Re: CNN: Brown Resigns from FEMA (none / 0) (#4)
    by Dadler on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:42 PM EST
    Squeak, Right, as if THIS kind of situation doesn't merit round the clock coverage and scrutiny. No no, I guess he thinks natural disasters of unprecendented proportion should really take a back seat to coverage of celebrities or pretty girls gone missing or sports or reruns of Home Improvement.

    Re: CNN: Brown Resigns from FEMA (none / 0) (#6)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:43 PM EST
    Mike Brown:
    I don’t mind the negative press (well, actually, I do, but I try to ignore it) but it is really wearing out the family.
    I know how you feel Mike. So does the population of New Orleans.... All this bad press they are getting about the weather is "really wearing them out". We'll pass on your concern....

    Re: CNN: Brown Resigns from FEMA (none / 0) (#7)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:43 PM EST
    Bush doesnt know Brown Resigned (via ThinkProgress)

    Re: CNN: Brown Resigns from FEMA (none / 0) (#8)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:43 PM EST
    For the second time today, Bush demonstrated that the Commander-in-Space is not on top of things going on inside his own government.

    Re: CNN: Brown Resigns from FEMA (none / 0) (#9)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:43 PM EST
    Good. He was a lightweight. The five of the eight or so people directly under him with no operational experience could tender their resignations also. Of course, this is really window dressing. I suppose the Republicans realized that to keep him around would be political suicide.

    Re: CNN: Brown Resigns from FEMA (none / 0) (#10)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:43 PM EST
    I suppose the Republicans realized that to keep him around would be political suicide. WH will spin it as the "leader" wasting no time on the necessary firing, replacing, or asking for resignations. After all, George is the good, strong, no-nonsense, take-charge type of "leader" the country needs to face these kinds of challenges, right?

    Re: CNN: Brown Resigns from FEMA (none / 0) (#11)
    by john horse on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:43 PM EST
    I'm sure that this has come as a shock to all my righwing friends. After all, they believed that FEMA had done a good job. It was all the fault of the local governments. I'm sure you must be upset with the Bush administration for allowing such a fine civil servant to twist slowly in the wind. Well, if FEMA did such a great job, how come Brown was reassigned? How come he resigned?

    Re: CNN: Brown Resigns from FEMA (none / 0) (#12)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:43 PM EST
    Since the Extremist-lickers in the TL Troll Squad don't seem interested in debating Brown's Brownstreak a mile wide (what? He won't defend his record?), I'll do my best: Jim: 'Obviously, the containment on the project to improve the gene pool collapsed because of the Blame Game. As a social liberal, I find all criticism of Bush the harshest kind of accountability. Jimcee: 'Brown would never have had to resign, if it wasn't for Bill Clinton reminding people what a president looks like. Johnny: 'There were hundreds of flooded school buses that the Governor could have used. Brownie didn't stop the ones that were underwater from entering the state -- that's a lie.' BigMedia: 'Listen to the Looney Left brag about removing Brown, probably the most qualified of ALL George Bush's marvelous appointees. Judge Roberts is cut from the same cloth, and they are smearing their noses on it! SAVE THE SAME CLOTH FROM LIBERAL NOSES!' 'gradstudent': 'Moonbats say that the FEMA chief in Seattle has a mail-order diploma. But he has a TWO-FOOT high stack of study guides that proves he worked HARD for that degree. I myself have a two-foot stack of study guides from my own graduate studies, and the diploma to prove it.' Etc.

    Re: CNN: Brown Resigns from FEMA (none / 0) (#13)
    by john horse on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:43 PM EST
    Paul in LA (Sarcasm Alert) Bush wasn't responsible for the hurricane, was he? We need to stop playing the blame game when it comes to Bush because it was all the fault of the local governments.

    Re: CNN: Brown Resigns from FEMA (none / 0) (#14)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:44 PM EST
    Paul in LA: I imagine it would be along these lines:
    PPJ: I don't know, and because am an arbiter of thought, you (and everyone else who regularly visits TL) will never know, what happened in Mike Brown's press release. Brown might have resigned, or not. Et al: now that I've established that you and I don't know what happened, I will pull a fast one and tell you what happened, and then supply the canonical interpretation of what happened. Whatever it was, Bush is blameless.


    Re: CNN: Brown Resigns from FEMA (none / 0) (#15)
    by Che's Lounge on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:44 PM EST
    COME ON DOWN MIKEY! YOU'RE OUR NEXT CONTESTANT ON........ (AUDIENCE) BLAME GAME! heh

    Re: CNN: Brown Resigns from FEMA (none / 0) (#16)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:44 PM EST
    WANTED: Totally unqualified ex-FEMA Chief for cozy job with rightwing thinktank. No experience thinking required.

    Re: CNN: Brown Resigns from FEMA (none / 0) (#17)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:44 PM EST
    Bush still hasn't fired anyone. Must be something about having to admit he was wrong. "Brownie you're doing a heck of a job getting lost."

    Re: CNN: Brown Resigns from FEMA (none / 0) (#18)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:44 PM EST
    Sorry, no experience OR thinking required.

    Re: CNN: Brown Resigns from FEMA (none / 0) (#19)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:45 PM EST
    Mac Lane - Typical. You will always defend my right to agree with you. Even when you don't provide links, even when you don't provide context, even when you only provide one side. et al - The Repubs needed to give up someone. Brown was it. Instead they should have been screaming about the following: PIL - Check this out:
    Jason van Steenwyk is a Florida Army National Guardsman who has been mobilized six times for hurricane relief. He notes that: "The federal government pretty much met its standard time lines, but the volume of support provided during the 72-96 hour was unprecedented. The federal response here was faster than Hugo, faster than Andrew, faster than Iniki, faster than Francine and Jeanne." For instance, it took five days for National Guard troops to arrive in strength on the scene in Homestead, Fla. after Hurricane Andrew hit in 1992. But after Katrina, there was a significant National Guard presence in the afflicted region in three. Journalists who are long on opinions and short on knowledge have no idea what is involved in moving hundreds of tons of relief supplies into an area the size of England in which power lines are down, telecommunications are out, no gasoline is available, bridges are damaged, roads and airports are covered with debris, and apparently have little interest in finding out. So they libel as a "national disgrace" the most monumental and successful disaster relief operation in world history.
    Re: CNN: Brown Resigns from FEMA (none / 0) (#20)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:45 PM EST
    Jim, publishing your rightwing lies here doesn't cure anything. Bush: 1) Put in place UTTERLY unqualified persons in FEMA. 2) Cut ACE funding for levee improvement/repair. 3) Shipped 2 out of 5 LANG to Iraq, along with 80% of their equipment. 4) Stayed on his five week vacation until an unknown number of survivors died from neglect. 3) is particularly important. Jim check this out:
    Lt. Col. Pete Schneider of the Louisiana National Guard a month before Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. In an August 1 interview with a New Orleans TV station, Schneider had worried that the National Guard equipment transferred to Iraq -- including high-water vehicles -- would be needed at home if a natural disaster struck: When members of the Louisiana National Guard left for Iraq in October, they took a lot [of] equipment with them. Dozens of high water vehicles, humvees, refuelers and generators are now abroad, and in the event of a major natural disaster that, could be a problem. "The National Guard needs that equipment back home to support the homeland security mission," said Lt. Colonel Pete Schneider with the LA National Guard.
    As important as the equipment, is the EXPERTISE of the NG in any state. Rather than out-of-state NG driving around trying to find out where they are, the design of the NG embeds national security/disaster recovery forces IN THEIR OWN AREAS, where they know the backroads, the forgotten hospitals, the little known gathering points for people in extremis. Bush takes responsibility, but Jim comes around and tries to layoff the latest R spin, because really taking responsibility would involve Bush RESIGNING, and everybody knows it but him and Jim (et al.).

    Re: CNN: Brown Resigns from FEMA (none / 0) (#21)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:45 PM EST
    And this: From a September 6 Wall Street Journal article ...
    The U.S. Army has a large facility, Fort Polk, in Leesville, La., about 270 miles northwest of New Orleans. Officials at Fort Polk, which has nearly 8,000 active-duty soldiers, said their contribution so far has consisted of a few dozen soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division manning purification equipment and driving half-ton trucks filled with supplies and equipment. The first contingent of soldiers didn't receive orders until Saturday afternoon. A spokeswoman at Fort Polk said she did not know why the base received its deployment orders so late in the game. "You'd have to ask the Pentagon," she said. A senior Army official said the service was reluctant to commit the 4th brigade of the 10th Mountain Division from Fort Polk, because the unit, which numbers several thousand soldiers, is in the midst of preparing for an Afghanistan deployment in January.
    (Both quote blocks courtesy of mediamatters.org)

    Re: CNN: Brown Resigns from FEMA (none / 0) (#23)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:46 PM EST
    DA, ok. We'll let that pass. There will be other firings to celebrate. As for obtaining links, I'm going to see if I can locate listening logs; I would like to obtain a recording of FEMA agents calling the locals cockroaches. I consider my sources reliable, but PPJ is right to ask for evidence. It's when he says he doesn't know what went on, and therefore no one else knows, and then says he knows enough to say it was a batleground situation, that it becomes incoherent. One wants to know how he knows even that much, given that he doesn't know. The ignoramibus ploy isn't cutting it.

    CNN: Brown Resigns from FEMA | 21 comments (21 topical)