Leftover Turkey

I saw this at Huffington Post, and I still can't believe it. It's not even a question of irony. Read what Mr. Brown has to say, and tremble again at how utterly clueless are the appointees to important posts in this Administration:

Former FEMA Director Michael Brown, heavily criticized for his agency's slow response to Hurricane Katrina, is starting a disaster preparedness consulting firm to help clients avoid the sort of errors that cost him his job.

"If I can help people focus on preparedness, how to be better prepared in their homes and better prepared in their businesses — because that goes straight to the bottom line — then I hope I can help the country in some way," Brown told the Rocky Mountain News for its Thursday editions.

He couldn't do it as a government official, but surely he can do it as a private consultant.

Michael Brown is now, officially, the embodiment of the GOP philosophy of governance. And New Orleans is his legacy.

Brown said officials need to "take inventory" of what's going on in a disaster to be able to answer questions to avoid appearing unaware of how serious a situation is.

Because appearance, of course, is what really matters.

In the aftermath of the hurricane, critics complained about Brown's lack of formal emergency management experience and e-mails that later surfaced showed him as out of touch with the extent of the devastation.

The lawyer admits that while he was head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency mistakes were made in the response to Katrina. He also said he had been planning to quit before the hurricane hit.

Notice he doesn't say mistakes were made by him.

"Hurricane Katrina showed how bad disasters can be, and there's an incredible need for individuals and businesses to understand how important preparedness is," he said.

Read that one again, slowly; and remind yourself this man was in charge of FEMA once upon a time. And then be afraid; be very afraid. This Administration is riddled with "Michael Browns;" and we have three more years with potential disasters, to go. Are we going to learn, over and over again, just "how bad disasters can be"?

Brown said companies already have expressed interested in his consulting business, Michael D. Brown LLC. He plans to run it from the Boulder area, where he lived before joining the Bush administration in 2001.

Well, it always worked for W. Which should also make you wonder how much longer American-style capitalism can last.

"I'm doing a lot of good work with some great clients," Brown said. "My wife, children and my grandchild still love me. My parents are still proud of me."

Because, remember: it's all about self-esteem. And in Mr. Brown's case, it's all about Brownie.