Many times in the Bush administration’s past there has been great tragedy and an absolute feeling of resolve. Supposedly, President George W. Bush is a “smoke ’em out” kind of guy.
He is the one that many would want to have on board in case of an emergency. However, his secrets are beginning to spill as of late, and the myth that is George W. Bush is ending.
Now, it is foolish to think that only President Bush is at fault for the massive mismanagement in New Orleans; and it is even scarier for some liberals to think that Bush somehow enabled Hurricane Katrina to ensue.
Michael Brown’s resignation comes amid questions about his resume and emergency experience. The only concrete (and uncontested) job this man held was for horse racing.
According to the Boston Herald, Brown held the position of “the commissioner of judges and stewards for the International Arabian Horse Association, a breeders and horse-show organization based in Colorado.”
It is shocking how someone like Brown could receive a nomination from the administration.
Yet sadly, that too is not shocking in the tradition of the president’s “qualified” picks for federal government positions. Brown is on a long list of people who supported the president before receiving his position.
Still, there is not enough blame to go around, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Rather then save these vital levees which needed massive reconstruction, the state officials allotted money to pet projects, one of them being a Mardi Gras Museum.
Adding insult to injury, Congress recently passed a bill that allowed $233 million to be spent on building a bridge in Alaska to connect the mainland to an island inhabited by fifty people, money that could be better used in the devastated south.
The parallels between the disaster of Hurricane Katrina and Sept. 11 are truly frightening: A president on vacation who does not respond to the urgent call of impending doom and incompetent state and government officials who could not communicate with each other.
Brown’s resignation came a little bit too late for it to matter, for there is still devastation in the Gulf Coast.
R. David Paulison, a former FEMA executive, has been announced as the replacement for Brown as FEMA Director.
Hopefully, we can turn the page on this dark time in American history. It is time to really question this administration and not wait until another disaster strikes to reprimand careless mistakes.
America does not need to hear another apology consisting of “we will be ready next time,” because next time is now.
