Brownie Blames DHS for FEMA problems with Katrina

Looks like Pass-the-buck Brownie is at it again. After sending the Bush Administration an ultimatum ("Get me a Lawyer, or I'll ... I'll - tell the truth") former FEMA head Michael Brown states during his Senate Testimony on Katrina that "I don't think the culture [would have allowed for the proper response to Hurricane Katrina]".

Sen Robert Bennet (R-UT) responded, "That is a staggering statement, it demonstrates a dysfunctional department to a degree that we have not seen".

Ok, when you've got the "R's" flatly shocked about what you're saying during one of those incredibly rare events on the hill, an oversight hearing, I think the fan and the shit have just decided to head for Inspiration point and GET BUSY.

It's not like Brownie wasn't already totally busted by emails from FEMA Official Marty Bahamonde for being asleep at the wheel during Katrina, and proving that most of his previous testimony where he placed all the blame on Louisiana Officials was a lie, it's clearly obvious that Heckuvajob has decided that he's going to be the first rat-fucker off the ship. "I didn't succeed [On Katrina], because DHS was an addidtional bureacracy that [we] didn't need".

Oh, so it's not all Governor Blanco and Mayor Nagin's fault like you said last year?

Apparently not, now it's all the fault of Sec Chertoff and the Department of Homeland Security which is apparently a total mess.

Someone needs to page all those "Security Mom's" from 2004 - and ask if they're still feeling even a wee bit "Secure"?

None of Brownie's claims are particularly a surprise to me. Richard Clarke in his first book "Against All Enemies", was strongly against the formation of DHS, stating that It could take up to ten years for all these organizations to come together and begin functioning effectively.

But what's really shocking to me, is seeing Republican Politicians apparently trying to Do their goddamn Job. Last time they had a hearing on Katrina, Republicans practically called the victims and survivors who testified "liars". My how things have changed. Maybe Kark Rove's attempts the other day to strongarm the Senate Judicial Committee has backfired. Just the fact that Karl had to go such extreme measures to threaten Republicans on the Committe to "stay in line" on the NSA shows that were terrified that these Senators were about to break ranks and needed a hard rap on the nose with some rolled up newspaper. (How and way a President whose recently had 36% approval thinks a threat to NOT show up and Campaign for a Congressman is supposed to be frightening - I'll never know!)

But it looks like another committe has just gone on the rug again.

We've got Rep Heather Wilson, head of a House Intelligence Sub-Commitee making a ton of noise over the NSA program.

Breaking with the White House, Rep. Heather Wilson, R-New Mexico, chairwoman of the House Subcommittee on Technical and Tactical Intelligence, says the time has come for a "complete review" of President Bush's eavesdropping program, her spokesman said Wednesday.

Libby has apparently flipped on the Plame case.

Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis (Scooter) Libby, testified to a federal grand jury that he had been "authorized" by Cheney and other White House "superiors" in the summer of 2003 to disclose classified information to journalists to defend the Bush administration's use of prewar intelligence in making the case to go to war with Iraq, according to attorneys familiar with the matter, and to court records.

We've got an Ex-CIA Official who says that the WMD intelligence was misused. (No kidding, really?)

The former CIA official who coordinated U.S. intelligence on the Middle East until last year has accused the Bush administration of "cherry-picking" intelligence on Iraq to justify a decision it had already reached to go to war, and of ignoring warnings that the country could easily fall into violence and chaos after an invasion to overthrow Saddam Hussein.

Sound like the Downing Street Memos much?

And just yesterday we've had yet another report that the White House was warned with days to spare that the levee was going to break.

WASHINGTON - Twenty-eight government agencies, from local Louisiana parishes to the White House, reported that New Orleans levees were breached Aug. 29, the day Hurricane Katrina roared ashore, documents released Thursday show.

A timeline of e-mails, situation updates and weather reports, pieced together by Senate Democrats, indicates the Bush administration knew as early as 8:30 a.m. EST about levee failures that would ultimately lead to massive flooding of the city and its surrounding parishes.

Senate Democrats said the documents raise questions about whether the government moved quickly enough to rescue storm victims once they realized the levees had broken.

Shortly after the disaster, Bush said, "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees." He later said his comment was meant to suggest that there had been a false sense of relief that the levees had held when the storm passed, only to break a few hours later.

Democrats said the documents showed there was little excuse for the tardy federal response

And now we've got ole Heckuvajob - since he's a "Private Citizen" these days - telling us in no express terms how big a mess FEMA and DHS is.

Looks like Uncle Karl's attempt to take Congress out to the woodshed was a little to little, and a little too late.

Wagon - say goodbye to the wheels.

Vyan