Michelle Malkin's Fit of Vapors

OpiniPundit ^ | 8/4/05 | traderrob

[traderrob6]

It's not often I disagree with the first lady of the blogospere but Michelle Malkins rantings concerning the firing of FEMA director Michael Brown couldn't be further of the mark. Her arguments:

-He admitted that he didn't act more aggressively because as late as last Sunday he expected Katrina to be a "standard hurricane" even though the National Weather Service in New Orleans was already predicting "human suffering incredible by modern standards."

- He proved himself utterly clueless about the disaster unfolding in New Orleans. He claimed that the federal relief effort was "going relatively well" and that the security situation in New Orleans was "pretty darn good."

- He blamed the flood victims in New Orleans for failing to evacuate on time, even though local authorities failed to make municipal vehicles available to residents who could not drive or did not own their own cars.

Granted he made some ill advised statements that may actually be accurate but would be better left unsaid. Does she suggest that everyone in beltway who has done the same also be fired? That would leave Washington pretty much a ghost town.

I have yet to see Michelle or anyone for that matter actually point to a legitimate bonafide screw up by anyone in the Bush administration that adversely effected the NO operation. I'm not saying it doesn't exist, but to date I have seen no one produce it.

It's human nature to asign blame whenever sonmething doesn't idealy go as it should. Sometime blame is warranted as it appears to be with both Nagin, Blanco and some other local authorities (for which evidence of bonafide screw ups do exist) sometimes it is not. If anyone needs to be fired it's several people in Bush's press and PR office. Their performance is dismal and has been for the better part of Bush's entire Presidency. That however, I'll leave for another day.

This sort of half cocked, knee jerk reactionism is usually reserved for the likes of the MSM and the Ted Kennedy wing of the Democrat party. To see it exhibited by the usual right thinking Michelle Malkin is both disturbing and perplexing. Conservatives are known for giving people (of either party) the benefit of the doubt. Why she has suddenly donned her cheerleading outfit and jumped on the blame Bush bandwagon has this humble blogster bewildered.

Assuming that Michelle isn't suffering from Arianna Huffington Syndrome, my advice to her and all clear thinking conservatives.....take a long deep breath and think with your brain not your adrenal glands. If anyone in the Bush administration is culpable for less than acceptable performance it will come out in due time and thoughtful appropriate action can be taken. Untill that time let's remain coherent and leave the hyper emotional breast beating to the crackpot left.

[justshutupandtakeit]

Maybe my personal attack on MM was hysterical as well. I often like what she does and my frustration with her got the better of me. While I am not ready to condemn Brown you are certainly correct that logistics experts would be the logical choice for this position. Bush will evaluate this whole operation and make the appropriate moves but, given the absolute vacuum at the State and Local level in New Orleans, I don't think an Alexander Hamilton could have done that much better. I can't ever recall seeing Brown or hearing him but if he isn't much of a speaker that certainly would not be in contrast to his boss who only rarely rises to true eloquence God Love him. Amd whose press secretary sounds like a mope.