The Workday Liberal

The title clicks to a story on the Huffington Post about Michael Browns priorities during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It quotes extensively from a transcript of a segment on NBC news.

Wednesday, August 31, much of New Orleans is under water. A FEMA official inside the Superdome sends an urgent Blackberry message to his boss, director Michael Brown. Marty Bahamonde, said to be Brown's eyes and ears within the city, writes, "The situation is past critical. Hotels are kicking people out. Thousands gathering in the streets with no food or water. Estimates are many will die within hours."

Bahamonde tells Senate investigators he doesn't remember getting a response to that e-mail but later was forwarded this one. Brown's press secretary fretting about Brown's dining plans for that evening. "It is very important that time is allowed for Mr. Brown to eat dinner," she writes. "Given that Baton Rouge is back to normal, restaurants are getting busy. He needs much more than 20 or 30 minutes."

This Browny character is still employed at FEMA in case you didn't know. He, strangely enough, is actually the guy tagged to investigate the response to Katrina by FEMA. Even if the apologists fall back on an argument to the effect of, 'this is just his secretary, it doesn't reflect how Brown was actually feeling', wouldn't it make sense for Browns gatekeeper to understand the importance of having Browns eyes and ears on the ground in New Orleans having fast access to Brown? It is really appalling that Brown still draws a government paycheck, and the position he currently occupies is truly a farce.