Burnt Brownie

George W. Bush’s FEMA looks with every passing moment more and more like Fahrenheit 451’s "Fire Department." It’s specialty seems to be creating disasters, rather than managing them. 

Calls for the resignation of Bush Buddy, former Arabian Horse Tender and current FEMA Chief, Michael “Brownie” Brown have become a national howl. Slate’s John Dickerson,  however, raises an excellent point in arguing that the buck doesn’t stop with him:

The only functional responsibility Brown retains is that of chief punching bag…If Brown hasn't yet packed up his "me" wall, it may be because of his political utility as a scapegoat. As a focal point of public rage, Brown remains useful to Bush as a fall guy. But can we really believe that ultimate blame for the rescue debacle resides in a man who ended his memo to Chertoff asking for assistance with a simpering plaudit: "Thank you for your consideration in helping us to meet our responsibilities." Someone who had to write that memo wasn't powerful enough in the first place to have caused the system to fail at the federal, state, and local levels.

Turns out that Brownie is also a fraud. Time magazine has a scorcher piece revealing that Brown’s primary credential as an emergency manager are, well, fabricated. If not by Brown himself, then by his White House employers. Far from being a bone fide disaster official, the young Michael Brown was merely a door-knob polisher, a gopher, an intern:

The White House press release from 2001 stated that Brown worked for the city of Edmond, Okla., from 1975 to 1978 "overseeing the emergency services division." In fact, according to Claudia Deakins, head of public relations for the city of Edmond, Brown was an "assistant to the city manager" from 1977 to 1980, not a manager himself, and had no authority over other employees. "The assistant is more like an intern," she told TIME. "Department heads did not report to him." Brown did do a good job at his humble position, however, according to his boss. "Yes. Mike Brown worked for me. He was my administrative assistant. He was a student at Central State University," recalls former city manager Bill Dashner. "Mike used to handle a lot of details. Every now and again I'd ask him to write me a speech. He was very loyal. He was always on time. He always had on a suit and a starched white shirt."

Make sure to read the entire Time piece as it’s chock-a-block with other Brownie deceptions. While his resume claims he was an “outstanding” professor at Central State University, for example, Time concludes he was –instead—only a student.

One relevant tidbit omitted somehow from the Time piece is any mention of the piddly-dink size of Edmond, Oklahoma. A Google search shows it with a current population of around 70,000. Thirty years ago when Brown allegedly “oversaw” emergency services, it couldn’t have had more than maybe half that number of people. So even if his credentials were real, what would they mean? That he had experience in –what exactly?—going out on Elm Street and personally directing traffic if the town’s one stop light went on the fritz?

Brown, by the way, is only one of five among eight top FEMA officials who previous to their appointments had no demonstrable experience in the field. They were, however, loyal Bush campaign operatives. I don’t have a problem with a president naming a hack or crony to a position as Deputy Assistant Undersecretary of Commerce for the Handicrafts or as maybe Ambassador to Micronesia. But what’s can we conclude about a president who packs disaster management agencies with inexperienced but loyal pals?

One answer, of course, is that George W. Bush never thought much about such things (nor about much in general for that matter). When he took office in 2001, his greatest aspirations were probably to cut taxes for his wealthy contributors, take a whack at Social Security and save up most of his energy for the golf course. September 11^th changed all of that. Unfortunately for all of us.

Related posts: Eric Umansky, Kevin Drum, Paul Campos.

Open invitation for Southern California locals: On Thursday, Sept. 15 at 6:30 p.m. I’ll be dialoguing with John Powers, author of Sore Winners: American Idols, Patriotic Shoppers and Other Strange Species in George Bush’s America. It all happens at the Silent Movie Theater, 611 N. Fairfax Ave. in Los Angeles. Admission is free.

Comments

[Randy Paul]

If I fabricated information on my résumé, I would be fired. The fact that Bush hasn't fired Brown speaks volumes about Bush.

The buck doesn't even slow down to catch its breath as it whizzes by in this White House.

[richard lo cicero]

Brown also exagerated his legal "career" but so what. At this point the squealing of Bush and company about not playing the "Blame Game" while blaming everyone else is overwhealming. God, I hope this is catching on with the majority of the country that is not part of the GOP cult. And it really is way past time for the so-called "moderates" like Jim Leach, Lincoln Chafee, and Susan Collins to say enough is enough, or as we Sicilians say "Basta!"

We are stuck with the chimp for three more years but we are going to need adult leadership somewhere and I guess that will have to be Congress. So God help us!

[evets]

Marc -

I think you're wrong about Bush saving his energy for the golf course. From what I've seen, he uses a golf cart and expends much more energy on his bicycle.

I think one of the reasons he feels free to appoint unqualified cronies to sensitive and demanding positions is that he scoffs at the idea that prior experience and demonstrated competence should factor into such appointments. These factors played no role in his own career, in his "advancement" from one postion to the next. Since he can't attribute his own success to competence and would be understandably reluctant to admit the nepotism involved, he believes instead in his own soul-power, that he was called to high office due to the quality of his soul. Perhaps he's looked into Brownie's eyes and seen a good man there much like himself, another good soul ready to roll up its sleeves. Shouldn't that suffice? What can latte-drinking elitists understand of such things?

[richard lo cicero]

Just announced. Btownie is going back yo DC and some Coast Guard Admiral will be in charge of NOLA cleanup/recovery. But he did a heckova job right?

[rosedog]

OT, and apropos of nothing in particular...(except the whole thing in particular)---NPR did a small piece today about Randy Newman's song "Louisiana 1927," which has been played a lot in the last ten days, for obvious reasons, and keeps playing in many of our heads for the same reasons. It's a beautiful song, melodically and lyrically, even without its current poignancy. And, after a short interview with Newman, the NPR piece closes with Aaron Neville's version of the song, which has its own exquisiteness.

If you want a tiny break from the ongoing sturm, drang and heartbreak, listen:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4838741

[reg]

Robert Novak's column - worth reading.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/novak/cst-edt-novak08.html

The rats are leaving the sinking rats...

[Bob P.]

The Time article was a great reactionary piece, but I wish we knew this stuff before the biggest disaster hit the US. I'm really surprised the bloggers at least didn't dig up the dirt on him before it all came out, although I'm sure it wouldn't have mattered.

Also, how did this clown get confirmed by the politicians (it does work that way, doesn't it. i might be wrong)?

I just don't get it. On paper, even with Brown's padded resume, he look swrong for the job. Now should Brown be prosecuted for fraud, or is he just going to be allowed to go gently into the night?

It's a sad scene. I've seen men with the same look in Michael Brown's eyes before. They were standing in front of a judge waiting for the verdict of guilty they knew would be handed down.

[reg]

Incidentally, details of that eyewitness account I posted have been confirmed by The St. Louis Post Dispatch, UPI and the SF Chronicle, including the tourists contracting a fleet of buses to rescue them and the Gretna police department's armed response to anyone trying to cross over the bridge while New Orleans officials were directing people there as an escape route. The Gretna police department, it has been officially confirmed in various news reports, took it upon themselves to act as a gang of thugs, violating the most elementary rights of their fellow citizens trapped in New Orlean. They should be prosecuted by the feds, but given the racial politics involved, you can bet your ass they won't be.

[rosedog]

Reg... I posted it on the photo caption thread, but one of the EMTs whose e-mail you posted was interviewed by Ira Glass on "This American Life." It was great.

[reg]

Thanks r...KQED-fm runs Glass Sat. afternoon...I'll be sure to catch it.