JEB! JOINS IN THE BLAME GAME DEFENDING FEMA

Florida's governor --- and Dubya's little brother --- broke his silence on Hurricane Katrina Wednesday, coming to the defense of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in the face of rising criticism regarding the agency's slow response in the Gulf South.

"The notion that somehow FEMA has thousands of specialists that can come at the drop of a hat is really a misguided notion...Can they do a better job? Absolutely ... But the notion somehow that the federal government should take this over is a very foolhardy notion."

Friends, let's just put everything on the table, politics aside. EVERYONE, from the mayor of New Orleans to the governor of Louisiana to the FEMA/Department of National Security to the White House itself, screwed up to some extent. Not ordering a mandatory evacuation sooner, not insuring that the resources were in place to transport those residents who did not have a means of leaving (dozens of Orleans Parish school buses parked and ending up flooded, for example), not having the National Guard and military arrive earlier to prevent the lawlessness that occured in the days after landfall. There's plenty of blame to go around; it's just disgusting that the political hacks in DC are trying to escape their share. Everyone knew that Katrina would strike along the Gulf Coast, and everyone knew that this would be a storm to rival Andrew or Camille.

I do agree that 1) Michael Brown should resign or be replaced as Director of FEMA, 2) that FEMA should be returned to it's previous status as an independent cabinel-level agency, and 3) it should be a requirement that the Director of FEMA should have emergency management experience

It was clear that since FEMA was intergrated within the Department of Homeland Security it's primary focus was changed from dealing with natrual disasters to a potential terrorist attack a la 9/11. It reminds one of the old Civil Defense department of the Cold War era. It was also clear that Brown was not truly qualified to run FEMA, that he was hired because he was a Republican activist and that his personal connections (college roommate of his predecessor, who hired him).