When Cronyism Kills

Did you hear the joke about the International Arabian Horse Association Lawyer?? Chicken Little said "Brownie, you're doin' a heck of a job!" I know, its not funny.

The above joke is FEMA Director Michael Brown, the man at the center of the firestorm for basically doing nothing for few days after the sky had actually fallen and the water flowed into New Orleans. His conduct, his qualifications, his ability and who ordered him to do what, when, where and why are the questions coming from all sides of embarrassed Americans.

I don't know about you but the International Arabian Horse Association, is a resume killer when it comes being the top disaster chief. The man spent nine years thinking and considering horse showing and proper breeding (Yes, I am being polite), never mind that he resigned unceremoniously and that his "Separation Agreement" included "a consulting fee of $100 per hour for time he spends assisting in the defense of litigation". Not exactly the stuff of heroes but lets face the facts, he is a pathetic creature, obviously unqualified for his job and when confronted with the obvious, chose to spin and lie rather that to react. Hey wait... he sounds familiar, and familiar, and familiar.

And of course there is Chicken Little, who was out continuing his non-stop defense of that other failure called Iraq. Yawn...now just another failure in an administration rampant with failure, rewarded. David Gregory asked a simple question of Press Secretary Scott McClellan yesterday, "Does the President have confidence in Michael Brown and Michael Chertoff?" No answer from McClellan except to evade the simplest of questions.

How is it that Harry Connick Jr. can fly to N.O., tour around and fly back to New York for his NBC Concert, before the National Guard can even have the streets under control? (How about that Kanye West?) Seeing Geraldo Rivera making rescues is embarrassing enough but when Sean Penn is beating the U.S. Government to the punch, we have a problem.

The dirty little secret that is that this is exactly what the retired Generals have been saying for the past year. "If a situation arises, natural disaster or conflict, we will be unprepared to deal with it" I've heard it, you've heard it, Chicken Little and Vice Vader have heard it...well once again, it turned out to be true.

A recently published book, “Rumsfeld’s War,” includes an analysis by the U.S. military which says that the military and government did not adequately plan for postwar stability operations. American troops were totally unprepared to deal with mass looting. "Freedom is untidy" Rummy stated. Perhaps he should stay away from the Gulf States before he ruins them like he did the Persian Gulf Region.

Kudos to Brian Williams, Shepard Smith and Cooper for being the first to take the administration to task for being unconnected to reality. Should we wonder if we have a Press Corps again??



Pissed Off As Ever.

Pacoinnyc

9/08/05