Before he lost his assignment last week and gave up his job as director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency Monday, Michael Brown wrote in an e-mail to relatives and friends: “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.” Yes, it’s regrettable that public servants’ families get singed by the heat. But Brown’s problem wasn’t that he tried to serve the public and got clobbered for doing his job. He simply didn’t do his job.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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20 Comments
What surprised me most in this whole fiasco, was that it took to long for somebody to do something about it, All the talking government heads were busy poking fingers at each other, that not only did nothing get done in the devesatated south, but nobody stepped up to the plate to take responsibility … until finally, yesterday Mr. Bush decided maybe he oughta do that! Yes, that negative press is really the pits, isn’t it. How pathetic.
Morghan,
Now watch for the $200 billion post-Katrina spending spree that W thinks will shore up his popularity. It’ll be announced today. That pork train’s a comin’!
‘Big government’ is only bad when the GOP doesn’t hold the purse strings. It’s going to be a contractors’ bonanza.
It will be interesting to see how much work Halliburton get from the oil and gas industry in the wake of this hurricane.
Undoubtably it’s going to cost a lot of money, but the job has to be done. I worry about things like “no bid” contracts. Let’s hope for some transparancy. That said, the clean up and rebuild will probably be good for the economy over all. We can hope the money goes to actual rebuilding, and not into some crooked politician’s or contractor’s pocket.
Brownie didn’t do his job?
Actually, he did do his job. The Bush Admin. want to show that gov’t can’t do anything right, and with him in charge, they’re living up to their low expectations.
“I want to make government weak enough to where I can strangle it in the bathtub,” Team Bush strategist Grover Norquist.
Yup, they’ve succeeded all too well.
Looks like Bill Maher agrees with me–sorry for the long post, but it’s worth the reading.
*****
Now, I kid, but seriously, Mr. President, this job can’t be fun for you anymore. There’s no more money to spend. You used up all of that. You can’t start another war because you also used up the army. And now, darn the luck, the rest of your term has become the Bush family nightmare: helping poor people.
Yeah, listen to your mom. The cupboard’s bare, the credit card’s maxed out, and no one is speaking to you: mission accomplished! Now it’s time to do what you’ve always done best: lose interest and walk away. Like you did with your military service. And the oil company. And the baseball team. It’s time. Time to move on and try the next fantasy job. How about cowboy or spaceman?!
Now, I know what you’re saying. You’re saying that there’s so many other things that you, as president, could involve yourself in…Please don’t. I know, I know, there’s a lot left to do. There’s a war with Venezuela, and eliminating the sales tax on yachts. Turning the space program over to the church. And Social Security to Fannie Mae. Giving embryos the vote. But, sir, none of that is going to happen now. Why? Because you govern like Billy Joel drives. You’ve performed so poorly I’m surprised you haven’t given yourself a medal. You’re a catastrophe that walks like a man.
Herbert Hoover was a shitty president, but even he never conceded an entire metropolis to rising water and snakes.
On your watch, we’ve lost almost all of our allies, the surplus, four airliners, two Trade Centers, a piece of the Pentagon and the City of New Orleans…Maybe you’re just not lucky!
I’m not saying you don’t love this country. I’m just wondering how much worse it could be if you were on the other side. So, yes, God does speak to you, and what he’s saying is, “Take a hint.”
Yup. In fact, those nasties at Halliburton probably set the whole thing up.
Oh yes, let’s blame the hurricane, airline bankruptcies, 9/11 and probably sunspots on the president.
9/11? Interesting that people forget that the Clinton administration spent more money on trying to dismantle Microsoft than they did pursuing Bin Laden– even after the attacks on Marine barracks and other atrocities that were attributal to al queda.
And, of course, he is personally to blame for global warming and subsequent hurricanes. Never mind the scientific fact that global warming has been discussed for decades and scientists still do not agree on its impact.
Let us blame Bush for Iraq, screaming how that country did not attack us, but let us do forget Vietnam (started by Kennedy), a country that never attacked us. North Korea (Truman) another country that did not attack. Germany (Roosevelt) did not attack the US either..Japan did. But, history is not important to you and your blame game, is it?
The Marine barracks attack happened when Reagan was president. His prompt withdrawal of our forces afterward, forever convinced terrorists of the efficacy of suicide attacks.
Bush doesn’t send money, he gets blamed. He sends money, it’s claimed Halliburton gets it all and Bush gets blamed. Anyone else see a pattern here?Better America: Ignore a Lib.
A couple of things Ray Thomas. We went to war in Vietnam because of a treaty, and while Germany didn’t attack us, they DID declare war on us (before we fired a shot at them).
“Interesting that people forget that the Clinton administration spent more money on trying to dismantle Microsoft than they did pursuing Bin Laden”
I’m not here to attack or defend anybody, but I notice the current administration hasn’t had any better luck rounding up Osama than the Clinton administration did. And there’s a hell of a lot more money pissed away for nothing.
Now I may just be a dumb old Pookie, but I think maybe we ought to concentrate a little more on capturing a guy who’s responsible for the deaths of about 3000 of my countrymen as opposed to, say, tearing up the realestate, blowing up the desert, and finding IEDs the hard way.
Ray–Clinton has been out of office for almost five years now. Move on, already. It rings rather hollow to whine that we libs blame Bush for everything when you conservatives are still blaming Clinton for everything.
I just wonder, if you think that Iraq is a “noble cause” like your man Bush does, what are you doing to support it? Are you or any of your family going to enlist? Are you willing to pay higher taxes for the 1-2 BILLION a week the war costs?
What sacrifice are you willing to make personally?
Jimmy take your own advice, ignore a lib.Maybe you can start your own blog where only a CON can post.
I’d respond, but I’m ignoring you :-)
Ray? Uh, Ray?
You missed my point, Galahad. I am tired of Bush being blamed for everything from global warming to personal job losses.
I do not need to defend my comments about Iraq. Members of my family PROUDLY have served in Iraq and have done so with honor. I don’t believe I ever said noble cause, so don’t try putting words in my mouth. I did, however, point out some precedence of wars in countries that did not attack the US.
Just to lighten things up, have you heard about Bush’s response when asked about his opinion of Roe versus Wade? “I don’t care HOW anyone gets out of New Orleans, as long as they do…”
Joke, Galahad…it is a JOKE..get it?
So two wrongs make a right . . . hmmm.
Also, Ray, are you saying that our fight in Iraq is NOT a noble cause?
So your folks PROUDLY served in Iraq even though it was for an ignoble cause.
O-kay, because I don’t want to put words in your mouth.
Oops, I wish this blog had an “edit” feature because I had Ray confused with a right-wing website guy who says that “liberals are communists.”
So I was wrong, I was very, very wrong.
Ignore all those previous posts. The harsh tone was totally unwarranted.
Sorry Ray,Bush has actually said too many thing like that to make it a joke. It’s simply too believable to be funny. Bush is the joke!