"No one was buying FEMA hats after 9/11, because FEMA is essentially a mop-up agency."

This post's tile is a quote from Bill Whittle's 'Tribes' that will put the grilling and grandstanding that former FEMA director Mike Brown got yesterday on Capitol Hill.

By focusing in on FEMA, it's as if the politicians are complaining that the automatic windows on the car aren't working while the engine (State of Louisiana) and the transmission (City of New Orleans) were totally shot .

Congressman Chris Shays embarrassed himself as evidenced by this exchange:

"You want me to be this superhero," Brown told Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.). Instead, he said, his role as federal coordinator was to talk to Blanco and Nagin and encourage them "to do their obligation to their citizens. I am not a dictator, and I . . . cannot go in there and force them to do that. "

Shays expressed shock. "The whole reason why I think you're there is to take command of coordinating -- working with, not just complaining about, what other people are doing," Shays said.

Update: Michelle Malkin has it wrong on this one with regard to Brown. Bottom line...the City of New Orleans and the State of Louisiana broke their agreement with FEMA and suffered from self-inflicted wounds.

Update 2: Power Line: Brownie Kicks Butt:

No doubt FEMA's performance was imperfect. What else is new? But Michael Brown didn't flood New Orleans. Nor did he fail to order a mandatory evacuation. Nor, when the order was finally given by the appropriate authorities, was he the one who failed to carry it out competently. I thought it was a mistake when President Bush cashiered Brown, and his performance tonight validates that judgment. FEMA's position is eminently defensible. But the Bush administration, historically, has failed to defend itself aggressively, and instead has passively yielded to the news cycle.

Technorati:
Katrina Recovery
Mike Brown
FEMA
Michelle Malkin