Brownie Speaks

As has been widely reported, erstwhile FEMA chief Bad Bad Brownie Brown has been put back on the federal payroll as a consultant to (I shit you not) help evaluate how FEMA responded to the disaster. Today, he's testifying before the kangaroo congressional committee put together by the House GOP to do what will surely be a thorough and unbiased investigation of the government’s handling of the Katrina disaster. Brownie, as you'll no doubt recall, did a heckuva job according to the man whose boozing he allegedly revealed to The Enquirer in a fit of pique as payback for the scapegoating he got, but this morning has told the committee he made "specific mistakes,” such as not persuading Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin to better coordinate their efforts.

That’s a great answer, isn’t it? It’s like he’s already on a job interview, figuring out how to answer that “What’s your greatest weakness?” question with something that sounds like a covert strength, except here, it’s answering a question about his own failures by pointing to the greater failures of others. It’s total bullshit, and everyone knows it’s bullshit, but the people who have the ability to do something about it just don’t care.

In any case, he’ll no doubt hold Bush and any other higher-ups, like Skeletor Chertoff, unaccountable, which is for what that fat consultancy fee is really paying. That and keeping the president’s nightly tumbler swims out of the papers.