So, minutes after I finished my first podcast highlighting the media’s new backbone, ol’ Brownie has been replaced as the leader of the Katrina relief effort. Was it his bungling? His ineffectiveness? His inexperience? Or just the fact that he lied all over his resume before he was appointed by his pals?
In Washington, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced that he has recalled Brown, the embattled director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, from his post as head of federal relief efforts on the ground in the Gulf Coast area and has replaced him with a senior Coast Guard officer.
… Chertoff explained the recall of Brown and his replacement by Allen as dictated by a move to “the next phase of operations” in the hurricane relief effort. He said the FEMA director needs to be in Washington to carry out broader responsibilities, including potentially managing “other kinds of disasters” and dealing with additional hurricanes. He suggested that the change would also meet the need for a “seamless interaction with military forces” in the relief effort.
Oh, God, no — he might manage other kinds of disasters? You mean, like the public relations disaster the federal government has now?
