September 9, 2005
FEMA Chief to Be Relieved of Storm Duties, Reports Say
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 1:35 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown is being removed from his role managing Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, The Associated Press has learned.

Brown is being sent back to Washington from Baton Rouge, where he was the primary official overseeing the federal government's response to the disaster, according to two federal officials who declined to be identified before the announcement.

Brown will be replaced by Coast Guard Vice Adm. Thad w. Allen, who was overseeing New Orleans relief and rescue efforts.

Brown has been under fire because of the administration's slow response to the magnitude of the hurricane. On Thursday, questions were raised about whether he padded his resume to highlight his previous emergency management background.

Less than an hour before Brown's removal came to light, White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Brown had not resigned and the president had not asked for his resignation.

McClellan did not directly answer a question about whether the president had full confidence in Brown.

''We appreciate all those who are working round the clock, and that's the way I would answer it,'' he said.

Amid escalating calls for Brown's ouster, the White House had insisted publicly for days that Bush retained confidence in his FEMA chief. But there was no question that Brown's star was fading in the administration. In the storm's early days, Brown was the president's primary briefer on its path and the response effort, but by the weekend those duties had been taken over by Brown's boss -- Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.

Also, while Brown was very visibly by the president's side during Bush's first on-the-ground visit to the hurricane zone last week, he remained behind the scenes -- with Chertoff out front -- when the president went back on Monday.

Maybe they need a color code system at FEMA
**Green could be for things they can handle
(nothing happening)
**Yellow when they are only confused 'bout which way the wind blows
** Orange if the wind blows and it rains too
** Red if they got their thumb stuck in their ass

Bush did stand next to brown at a news confrence a week ago and say " Brownie, you're doing a great job". I think, judging from the look in his eyes, he may have meant to say " Wow, these brownies are doing a great job!"

Unfortunately for us, Mr. Brown remains in his job in Washington. We can rest assured that the administration will thus remain stuck on stupid for the next natural or terrorist catastrophe. Will Bush ever run out of cronies to reward with jobs they can't handle?