More Cafferty

Here's some more from CNN's Jack Cafferty. I lifted the lengthy quote entirely from Atrios's Eschaton blog.

Somewhere along the way FEMA became a dumping ground for the president's political cronies with little experience in disaster relief. The agency's first director was Joe Albaugh. He was president Bush's 2000 campaign chairman. Albaugh brought in the current failure Michael Brown. His previous work was with Arabian horses. The number two guy, Brown's top deputy at FEMA, is a fellow named Patrick Rhode. He worked for the 2000 election campaign. The number 3 guy at FEMA is Brooks Altshuler. He used to work in the White House. His job was planning presidential trips. FEMA's long term recovery director is a guy named Scott Morris. He produced television and radio commercials for the Bush campaign. The federal agency charged with handling national emergencies is staffed at the very top by a bunch of political hacks with virtually no experience that qualifies them to respond to something like Katrina. But I digress.

...

Where are the qualifications of these people? None of these guys is qualified based on the stuff I'm reading, to head up an emergency management agency. One of these guys worked with Arabian horses, The rest are all off the campaign trial. Planned presidential trips. Produced TV commercials. Don't you need somebody at the top running the organization who has some semblance of an idea of what the hell is required when there's an emergency?

Katrina truth

Here’s a link to an account of an extraordinary Katrina odyssey that vividly conveys the truth of the NO mess. Do not miss reading this. It is the complete account, linked by Billmon, and referred to in the previous post.

Paramedics'journey: "Hurricane Katrina-Our Experiences"

on edit, here's a new link the one above no longer works. And if this one doesn't work, this site is also carrying the story: The Socialist Worker on line

Go fuck yourself Mr. Cheney

Crooks and Liars has the "go fuck yourself Mr. Cheney" tape.

Billmon, at The Whiskey Bar, has some informative comments and quotes about working class "heroes and sheroes" and the racial divide in NO.

Repression

The feds, with too much too late, are now occupying nearly every inch of NO and are tightly controlling the media, prohibiting, for example, photos of dead bodies. This is a typical move of a repressive government. Even the traditionally responsible Josh Marshall says so

Take a moment to note what's happening here: these are the marks of repressive government, which mixes inefficiency with authoritarianism. The crew that couldn't get key aid on the scene last week is coming in in force now and taking as one of its key missions cutting public information about what's happening in the city.

This is a domestic, natural disaster. Absent specific cases where members of the press would interfere or get in the way of some particular clean up operation or perhaps demolition work there is simply no reason why credentialed members of the press should not be able to cover everything that is happening in that city.

Think about it.

Talking Points Memo

Mother

Here's what Barbara Bush said, while touring the Astrodome.

What I'm hearing which is sort of scary is that they all want to stay in Texas. Everybody is so overhwlemed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway so this (chuckle)--this is working very well for them.

From Atrios. If you read the entire post, there is also the transcript of an editorial (rant) from Olbermann

Hacks

FEMA Director Michael Brown got his job as a political patronage position, with no relevant experience and the last item on his resume getting fired from a job as a manager of horse shows. Last year he was caught giving out FEMA money as political pork with an eye to the 2004 elections. But that shouldn't surprise since people who get hired as part of patronage operations do their jobs as part of the patronage operation. That's the idea.

from this post by Josh Marshall