Hot Potato, Hot Potato
CNN.com – Brown: E-mail shows Bush glad FEMA took Katrina flak – Jun 11, 2006
The e-mail stated that Bush was relieved that Brown — and not Bush or Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff — was bearing the brunt of the flak over the government’s handling of Katrina. (Watch how Brown fell from grace — 4:00)
The September 2005 e-mail reads: “I did hear of one reference to you, at the Cabinet meeting yesterday. I wasn’t there, but I heard someone commented that the press was sure beating up on Mike Brown, to which the president replied, ‘I’d rather they beat up on him than me or Chertoff.’ “ (Copy of e-mail [PDF])
The sender adds, “Congratulations on doing a great job of diverting hostile fire away from the leader.“
(All emphasis mine-Loki) Many Thanks to Jeremiah Junken for pointing this one out! I’m no fan of “Heckuva Job Brownie,” but I am also not suprised at this email or the fact that he was the sacrificial goat for GW’s incompetence. After all, GW was the one who put an unqualified idiot like Brown in office in the first place. (And before the democrats reading this get all high and mighty go look at the records of that appointment, Dems did not stop that appointment, they supported it!)
It does give you hope for the American Dream though, after all if a man can screw up the IAHA and get fired and go on to head up FEMA then anyone can aspire to anything, qualifications notwithstanding. Be nice to your waiter, he may be the next Secretary of State!