No Experience Necessary

The callous indifference and astounding and far-reaching incompetance of the Bush adminstration is just unspeakable. So for now, I want to zero in on one thing: How FEMA was turned from a crack disaster relief agency under Bill Clinton and into a patronage parlor by George W. Bush in his top three appointments to the agency:

As the Chicago Tribune reported:

"Top officials of the Federal Emergency Management Agency have strong political connections to President Bush, but they also share at least one other trait: They had little or no experience in disaster management before landing in top FEMA posts.... Before joining FEMA in 2001, [FEMA head Michael] Brown, a protege of longtime Bush aide Joseph Allbaugh, was commissioner of the International Arabian Horse Association and had virtually no experience in disaster management."

Brown's lack of relevant experience is matched by his Chief and Deputy Chief of staff. Kos had the story on these characters on September 6th.

The Chief of Staff is a guy named Patrick Rhode. He planned events for President Bush's campaign. Rhode has no emergency management experience whatsoever. From Rhode's official bio:

His first position with the Bush Administration was as special assistant to the President and deputy director of National Advance Operations, a position he assumed in January 2001. Previously, Mr. Rhode served as deputy director of National Advance Operations for the George W. Bush Presidential Campaign, in Austin, Texas.


The Deputy Chief of Staff is Scott Morris. He was a press flak for Bush's presidential campaign. Previously, he worked for the company that produced Bush's campaign commercials. He also has no emergency management experience. From Morris's official bio:

Mr. Morris was also the marketing director for the world's leading provider of e-business applications software in California, and worked for Maverick Media in Austin, Texas as a media strategist for the George W. Bush for President primary campaign and the Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign.

"FEMA spokeswoman Natalie Rule," according to The Chicago Tribune, "said the absence of direct experience managing emergencies is irrelevant because top managers need 'the ability to keep the organization running.'"