WP: Leaders Lacking Disaster Experience

[Tennessee Gal]

Leaders Lacking Disaster Experience
'Brain Drain' At Agency Cited

By Spencer S. Hsu
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, September 9, 2005; Page A01

Five of eight top Federal Emergency Management Agency officials came to their posts with virtually no experience in handling disasters and now lead an agency whose ranks of seasoned crisis managers have thinned dramatically since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

FEMA's top three leaders -- Director Michael D. Brown, Chief of Staff Patrick J. Rhode and Deputy Chief of Staff Brooks D. Altshuler -- arrived with ties to President Bush's 2000 campaign or to the White House advance operation, according to the agency. Two other senior operational jobs are filled by a former Republican lieutenant governor of Nebraska anda U.S. Chamber of Commerce official who was once a political operative.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/08/AR2005090802165.html

[Wordie]

1. How is it POSSIBLE that they can be so inept??? n/t

[leftchick]

2. duh!

The media is finding this out just now?? Get a clue WaPo! Take a look at this whole misadministration full of ** political cronies who lack experience in any of the position they are in. AND, contrast it with Bill Clinton's administtration.

If you dare. :grr:

[jamesinca]

3. You need to edit the title of the article

it is to long. When refering to the Federal government since 1/20/01 you have to say "Leaders Lacking"

[truthisfreedom]

4. bushco WANTS posts to be filled by people who have no idea what to do

when emergencies strike. their plants make no decisions on their own. bushco has a task force ready to tell these schmucks how to handle things (delay, delay, delay) as to create the largest possible funnel into the pockets of bushco. halliburton, for example, will always be at the top of the list, followed by the military industrial complex, the prison industrial complex (generate as many criminals as possible by way of disaster), and a few very special groups that i will not mention here.

[Nay]

5. Even worse, though, is that anyone with NO experience, but a

modicum of common sense or concern, would have been able to do better than these morons. They are ALL heartless cronies who raked in their salaries for doing nothing. They never thought there would be an actual disaster on their watch, so when one came, they were as mentally unprepared for that as they have been unprepared for anything that ever came along -- all their lives, they have skated through school, through society, through everything, simply on their family's name and money. It is disgusting.

[deacon]

6. He appointed inexperienced people for vital jobs- the buck stops with

bush. cronyism was more important to him and an awful lot of people died because of it.

[Child_Of_Isis]

7. When Florida was getting hit

no one seemed to have a problem getting them what they needed. One guy on the tele said he thought it was because it was during election.

[Lochloosa]

8. FEMA leaders lack disaster experience

By Spencer S. Hsu

Updated: 6:33 a.m. ET Sept. 9, 2005
Five of eight top Federal Emergency Management Agency officials came to their posts with virtually no experience in handling disasters and now lead an agency whose ranks of seasoned crisis managers have thinned dramatically since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

FEMA's top three leaders -- Director Michael D. Brown, Chief of Staff Patrick J. Rhode and Deputy Chief of Staff Brooks D. Altshuler -- arrived with ties to President Bush's 2000 campaign or to the White House advance operation, according to the agency. Two other senior operational jobs are filled by a former Republican lieutenant governor of Nebraska and a U.S. Chamber of Commerce official who was once a political operative.

Meanwhile, veterans such as U.S. hurricane specialist Eric Tolbert and World Trade Center disaster managers Laurence W. Zensinger and Bruce P. Baughman -- who led FEMA's offices of response, recovery and preparedness, respectively -- have left since 2003, taking jobs as consultants or state emergency managers, according to current and former officials.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9261552/

[bleedingheart]

9. Political Payback....and now it bites back

[etherealtruth]

10. Brown lacks ANY experience that would prepare him for any...

RESPONSIBLE position anywhere, much less the head of FEMA.

His ACTUAL resume reads much like the Chimp's, a trail of lies and failure.

The fact that this idiot was appointed to a position where he is responsible for protecting human life is criminal.

[Don Claybrook]

13. Take that back!

With the right training, I think Mike Brown could run a hot dog stand, at least during the non-peak times.

[One_Life_To_Give]

11. Never use Competent people

When a partisan hack could occupy the office. :sarcasm:

[Tesla]

12. Cheney kinda said something about this yesterday

He said something like"you have all the people under the elected official appointed by the President, that know what to do. They ADVISE the elected official."