Thread: Bush's FEMA Chief 'Asked To Resign'

Brown pushed from last job: Horse group: FEMA chief had to be `asked to resign'
By Brett Arends
Saturday, September 3, 2005 - Updated: 02:01 PM EST

The federal official in charge of the bungled New Orleans rescue was fired from his last private-sector job overseeing horse shows.

And before joining the Federal Emergency Management Agency as a deputy director in 2001, GOP activist Mike Brown had no significant experience that would have qualified him for the position.

The Oklahoman got the job through an old college friend who at the time was heading up FEMA.

The agency, run by Brown since 2003, is now at the center of a growing fury over the handling of the New Orleans disaster.

``I look at FEMA and I shake my head,'' said a furious Gov. Mitt Romney yesterday, calling the response ``an embarrassment.''

President Bush, after touring the Big Easy, said he was ``not satisfied'' with the emergency response to Hurricane Katrina's devastation.

And U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch predicted there would be hearings on Capitol Hill over the mishandled operation.

Brown - formerly an estates and family lawyer - this week has has made several shocking public admissions, including interviews where he suggested FEMA was unaware of the misery and desperation of refugees stranded at the New Orleans convention center.

Before joining the Bush administration in 2001, Brown spent 11 years as the commissioner of judges and stewards for the International Arabian Horse Association, a breeders' and horse-show organization based in Colorado.

``We do disciplinary actions, certification of (show trial) judges. We hold classes to train people to become judges and stewards. And we keep records,'' explained a spokeswoman for the IAHA commissioner's office. ``This was his full-time job . . . for 11 years,'' she added.

Brown was forced out of the position after a spate of lawsuits over alleged supervision failures.

``He was asked to resign,'' Bill Pennington, president of the IAHA at the time, confirmed last night.

Soon after, Brown was invited to join the administration by his old Oklahoma college roommate Joseph Allbaugh, the previous head of FEMA until he quit in 2003 to work for the president's re-election campaign. [continue]
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Construction equipment is used as crews work to fill the broken levee on the 17th street canal in New Orleans. (AP photo)

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Brown pushed from last job: Horse group: FEMA chief had to be `asked to resign'

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The White House last night defended Brown's appointment. A spokesman noted Brown served as FEMA deputy director and general counsel before taking the top job, and that he has now overseen the response to ``more than 164 declared disasters and emergencies,'' including last year's record-setting hurricane season.
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http://business.bostonherald.com/busine ... at=&page=1

Bernard Kerik I would have to believe would have done a better job and he should take this position, which they didn’t give him the DHS director position.

pro

FEMA didn't know about the misery of the hurricane victims in New Orleans? Really? It wasn't all over the news for days before the hurricane system arrived? They are so incompetent that they didn't realize that a category 4-5 hurricane is devastating no matter where it makes landfall?

How could anyone with a lick of sense not hide under something if that statement is made concerning a happening on their watch??

This is the most revolting, disgusting responsibility-evading bunch of misfits I've ever in my life seen!! AND, the imbeciles are our GOVERNMENT?? What in hell is wrong with US??

RR

Hey folks, our government has ceased to care about the rest of us citizens years ago. Local, state and federal government employees (90%) only care about their paycheck. The worse ones are in DC and they feather their nest to the tune of millions of dollars. Career politicos only care about the money!!! If we could take the billions of dollars that the illegals are sending out of this country and apply it towards pay raises to teacher, police and fire fighters, it would be a much better society for all of us. We could take the billions of dollars that are being spent on both fronts on the war on terrorism and put every poor LEGAL American citizen in a decent home and create decent jobs for those citizens. Whorehay Boosh is just attempting to eliminate the black race and substitute the brown race because he has brown people in his family!!! NamVet has spoken

Whorehay Boosh is just attempting to eliminate the black race and substitute the brown race because he has brown people in his family!!!

You know you might be onto something there. I always wondered why Bush has such a fetish for Mexicans. It's like a fatal attraction. It's downright scary. Someone needs to go remind Jorge that he's a white caucasion (sp) and the Mexicans in Mexico really hate him and no amount of hispandering is going to win them over. Yeah Jorge just legalize all Mexicans so the Democrats can gain power for the next hundred years. Idiot.

President Bush, after touring the Big Easy, said he was ``not satisfied'' with the emergency response to Hurricane Katrina's devastation.

Who's fault was it that this clown got hired in the first place? Don't just blame your low level cronies that had no business being hired in the first place, point the finger at yourself you jerk. For once take some freaking responsibility for your own actions which you haven't done since you came out of your momma's womb.

America needs to hold this jerk accountable. IMPEACH JORGE BUSH NOW! CONTACT YOUR REP AND SENATORS NOW LIKE I'VE BEEN DOING AND DEMAND THIS TRAITORS IMMEDIATE IMPEACHMENT BEFORE YOU OR SOMEONE YOU LOVE ENDS UP DEAD BECAUSE OF HIS INCOMPETENCE.