Category 5 Cronies

without even a background check or American citizenship. Mr. Cipel,
however, was vastly qualified for his job compared with Michael Brown, who
didn’t know the difference between a tropical depression and an anxiety
attack when President Bush charged him with life-and-death decisions.

How simple life must be for Democrats when they don’t allow facts to get in the way of their preconceived and prejudged world view.

While Brown appears to certainly not have been very “proactive” in moving aside the Governor of Louisiana when she REFUSED to allow the Red Cross and the Salvation Army) to bring supplies to the Superdome and the Convention Center before and after the Hurricane struck and when she REFUSED to back up the ineffectual Mayor in enforcing the mandatory evac order BEFORE and AFTER.  Of course the Mayor also needs to be slapped silly for not using the 1,000 buses at his disposal to move those poor people that had to then endure those refuges of “last resort” as their disaster plan called for and where in fact used as refuges of first resort – the Superdome and the Convention Center.

Brown does have a distinction that almost no other political appointtee in the Bush Administration has enjoyed.  He was confirmed to his FIRST position in FEMA by a Democratic controlled Senate.  That confirmation by the Democrats was UNANIMOUS.

“…”Not only was Brown confirmed,” noted York. “But he was apparently confirmed by a unanimous voice vote — when the Senate was controlled by Democrats. . . .

“The whole affair, including tributes from Brown’s home-state senators, apparently lasted less then an hour, and ended with [Sen. Joe] Lieberman saying, ‘Mr. Brown, I thank you very much. I will certainly support your nomination. I will do my best to move it through the committee as soon as possible so we can have you fully and legally at work in your new position.'”

The hearing was for Brown’s nomination as FEMA deputy director…”

The breakdown in management and communications was so execrable that the
president learned about the 25,000 desperate, trapped people at the New
Orleans convention center not from Brownie, who didn’t know himself, but

Bush had the same problem you have.  He relied on Brown to supply him information which according to current reports was inaccurate just like you are relying on newsmedia reports that are inaccurate in not putting a large portion of the blame on those responsible in New Orleans.  Remember Brown was not just dealing with coordinating the Federal assistance response to New Orleans but also to the rest of the 9,000 sq. mile area.  The disaster area is the size of Great Britain – not just limited to the City of New Orleans.  Maybe Brown’s first problem was relying on the Democrats in charge in the City – including the Governor who was refusing to Federalize the situation because she was wanting to show that she was “in control”.

“Getting truth on the ground in New Orleans was very difficult,” a White
House aide told The Times’s Elisabeth Bumiller. Not if you had a TV.

You mean “truth” like the media lies that their were dead kids and babies in the Convention center and the Superdome?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9160710/Watch the videohttp://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09_06.html#077206 “…“That’s a kid,” he said. “There’s another one in the freezer, a 7-year-old with her throat cut.”…”But now in th clear light of day the New Orleans Chief of Police is saying:

http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/091005/new_body001.shtml“…
Ebbert said law enforcement in the city is still under the complete control of the New Orleans Police Department. Police Chief Eddie Compass said 200 arrests have been made since the storm hit.Compass also denied reports that dead children have been found in the city’s convention center, where more than 20,000 evacuees were held until last weekend…”

While many see the hideous rescue failures as disaster apartheid, Barbara
Bush and other Republicans have tried to look on the bright side for the
victims. The Wall Street Journal reported that Representative Richard
Baker of Baton Rouge was overheard telling lobbyists: “We finally cleaned
up public housing in New Orleans. We couldn’t do it, but God did.”

Seems some of the evacuees are in agreement with Barbara.

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/09/09/MTFH18824_2005-09-09_21-12-19_SPI974148.html“…”I’m planning a whole new life,” said Phillip Johnson II, 23, who has already arranged an apartment in Salt Lake City. “It’s an opportunity knocking for me out here.”He said even though the population of New Orleans was two-thirds black, his appearance with dreadlocks and a goatee still worked against him. “In New Orleans, being a young black man, you get harassed a lot, stereotyped a lot,” he said…”

and from that same story

“…Larry Andrew’s brother Adrian and sister Tanya, despite initial shock about being sent to Utah, say they will remain in Utah. Even Larry, despite his doubts, says the state is offering him a unique chance.

“According to what I see, it will be beneficial to me economically, even socially,” he said. “But how would they adapt to me?”

Even those who believe in intelligent design must surely agree that
Brownie and Representative Baker weren’t part of it.

Well now I see the real problem.  You are reading and beleiving ANYTHING that Maureen Dowd says.  Word of advice.  If Mauren says it you need to be asking yourself “what’s the rest of the story”

By MAUREEN DOWD
E-mail: liberties@nytimes.com