"Oblivious. In denial. Dangerous,"

Michael D. Brown, the embattled head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, today was relieved of his duties overseeing recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast region.

"Michael Brown has done everything he possibly could to coordinate the federal response to this unprecedented challenge," Mr. Chertoff said, accompanied by Admiral Allen and Mr. Brown. "I appreciate his work, as does everybody here."

Here.

How do you deal with people this determined to ignore reality? Hell, even the BBC World Service is reporting on Brown's fudged resume. He's done absolutely nothing right since Katrina gained strength in the Gulf, and the federal response to this catastrophe has been so uncoordinated as to challenge the very idea that there was a federal response for five days!

This is beyond preposterous. The words of Nancy Pelosi are the only ones possible now: "Oblivious. In denial. Dangerous."

If I could muster it, I'd employ the sang froid of the BBC: "He has not been sacked but the idea that this was a planned move - part of a wider strategy to deal with the next disaster - will not appear to most Americans to be very credible."

As it is, the only response I can make, in the immortal words of Ebenezer Scrooge, is: "I'll retire to Bedlam."