**YOU** have the power to pick a person to clean up Gulf. Who do you pick?

[Stinky The Clown]

The 'chatter' is saying idiot son's gunna send Powell out to fix things (hopefully including his reputation).

If you had the authority to select a 'Special FEMA Czar' (or whatever the hell they decide to call it), who would you select?

[Matariki]

1. Al Gore

[mod mom]

14. I agree: compassion for people + knowledgeable about the environment

[faithfulcitizen]

2. Wes Clark

[Bluebear]

11. Me too.

[DinahMoeHum]

3. James Lee Witt, head of FEMA under Clinton. . .no contest.

Hell, this incompetence in preparation and response would NEVER have happened in a Clinton/Gore/Kerry administration.

:kick:

[Stinky The Clown]

4. James Lee is already working for Governor Blanco

And Wes Clark and Rodney Slater are his partners.

While I am absolutely certain they could do the job, is this just a bit too political? (Not quarreling, just asking)

[DinahMoeHum]

12. Fuck this "no politics - too political" shit.

Witt, Clark, and Slater are the few pros who know what they're doing.

And if Wesley Clark decides to parley it into a run for POTUS, I say go for it.


:kick:

[txindy]

13. Yes, James Lee Witt

Definitely.

[stillcool]

5. Witt....

..he has experience...which is needed

[tocqueville]

6. Bush with a toothbrush

under armed surveillance

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

10. You're too kind...

George W. Bush WITHOUT a toothbrush.

[Lindacooks]

15. YES!!! We have a winner!!

[librechik]

7. Robert F. Kennedy Jr n/t

[sui generis]

9. oh so this is "not firing" whatsisname?

well I'll be.

If I had the authority, I'd pick whomever before we lost a city to help keep from losing the city to begin with.

At this point I'd pull in a military guy from supply corps or NAVICP but this would be my rationale:

1. Need to understand placement and use of armed human resources
2. Need to be able to schedule human resource supply & relief
3. Need to integrate and enhance local emergency response efforts
4. Need to understand supply, staging, transport, distribution of emergency food, medicine, clothing, charitable contributions
5. Need to support effective handoff during reconstruction and repopulation

Any experienced supply chain senior guy should be able to do this IN THEORY, but a real officer responsible for the wellbeing of large numbers of real people resources on the ground is a better bet.

About Powell, I wouldn't rate him as a top flight hands-on officer for this task. I would pick who Powell recommends as his first officer for the effort and skip Powell altogether.

[Stinky The Clown]

17. **IF** it has to be a republican, and if we follow your idea

(your idea being a good one and one I largely agree with) then I'd say Tommy Franks instead of Powell. You're very right, Powell was more an 'adminstrator' type whereas Franks has the direct on-the-ground experience. I may not agree with his politics, but I'd be reasonably comfortable with him.

I kninda think the name recognition is important. We're in a personality driven world, like it or not, and I think he's got a reasonably good name.

On the other hand, there's Rudy Gee. Face-time-whore of the first order. He'd be a terrible choice.

So maybe that's why they might pick him.

[Booster]

16. I'd pick either Robert Kennedy, Jr. or Jimmy Carter.

[ForrestGump]

18. Godzilla

If you're talking about the actual Gulf.

[mithnanthy]

19. Al Gore

He defintely would get the job done, without using lame excuses or lies, like FEMA Director "Brownie" or Homeland Security Jerkoff.