Posted on 09/09/2005 7:08:45 AM PDT by Millee
Rep. Tom Tancredo on Thursday became one of the first congressional Republicans to call for the ouster of embattled Federal Emergency Management Agency director Michael Brown.
Echoing criticism leveled by numerous Democrats this week, the Littleton congressman said he had lost confidence in Brown, a former Colorado lawyer who has been under fire for his agency's response to the Hurricane Katrina disaster. Tancredo has been harshly critical of state and local officials in Louisiana, too, saying they deserve 90 percent of the blame for the mismanaged relief efforts.
But he said the FEMA director should be removed from his post "as part of what I would hope would be a thorough housecleaning from this whole event. I certainly believe he has demonstrated a lack of leadership to the extent I think a replacement is necessary.
"But believe me," Tancredo added, "it's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg in terms of the sort of personnel shifting that needs to go on."
Democrats, including Sen. Ken Salazar, of Denver, Rep. Mark Udall, of Eldorado Springs, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, from California, already have called on President Bush to remove Brown.
Until now, the White House has rebuffed the requests and Brown has said he's continuing to do his job despite the criticism.
"It really hasn't surprised me that we've gotten into the blame game," Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., said Wednesday. "I don't think this is the time to fire people. I think it's the time we need to help people."
Earlier this week, Tancredo harshly criticized Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, both Democrats, saying they had "demonstrated mind- boggling incompetence," and urged Congress not to give emergency relief funds directly to their agencies without strict federal oversight.
Tancredo now questions whether Brown has the confidence to remain on the job overseeing the federal disaster response.
"I don't know how much trust there is in him, and I think at this point in time you desperately need people leading the effort here who are deemed to be capable and have the trust of the people who work for them," Tancredo said.
>>> The job of FEMA head is too important to be assigned to a resume-padding horse judge. We might have another serious disaster tomorrow and I'd like to think that the head of FEMA at that time would be someone who is one of the top disaster experts in the country. <<<
Who needs the left-wing nut-jobs and their MSM propagandists when we have you doing their dirty work? There is no evidence Brown padded his resume, and FEMA has successfully handled 164 federally-declared disasters under Brown's leadership -- 165 counting this one, which has been handled very well!
>>> I hope Republicans don't waste any political capital defending a plainly unqualified man like Brown. <<<
I hope Republicans don't listen to you.
I think tancrado is a rock throwing POS.
>>> Yep, it only took one google search to find out that Mr. Tancredo has a lifetime rating of 98 from the ACU. Yet some here will take Mr. Brown over Mr. Tancredo. No thanks. <<<
There would be no need to make a choice if Tancredo was not out there running his ignorant mouth.
Since you aren't adding any facts to the discussion, but rather resorting to ad hominem garbage, you lose.
Come back when you have actual facts to back up your emotional outbursts.
Tancredo is often asked to comment by the press, believing they will get something juicy from him. Tancredo will say what he believes based on the information he has at the moment but it won't be reported that way.
You don't know him, I do. I know he is usually used to divide the right and inflame the left by the media and Tom then has to respond to things he never said or intended. He gets frustrated over it but he's willing to take the heat to promote the things he believes in, such as border security.
I'll take his honest opions over the distortions and misleading BS coming from Democrats any day.
IF he has done nothing wrong why should He get rid of him. Thatss a "brilliant" thought.
Come back when you have actual facts to back up your emotional outbursts
Uh I ain't the one parroting the emotional outbursts of CNN/Time magazine.
To allow himself to be used as a pawn in the libs political blame game to ultimately get at Bush, makes him little more than a useful idiot. He's not real smart in my humble opinion.
I'll take his honest opions over the distortions and misleading BS coming from Democrats any day
Then why give the liberal media such juicy tid bits to run with to bash his idealogical allies.
I'll agree that tancredo ain't dumb, but neither am I, and can see the dog and pony show he and his supporters do.
Uh, neither am I.
Your reading comprehension needs some work. Try reading my posts again and maybe you'll get it.
I don't know much about him either, however it seems stupid to fire him right now. To me, firing him right now, before there has been time to look at things carefully and cooly (which is difficult to do in the middle of a political firestorm) looks like apeasement. Let a head roll to take the heat off of us.
Time will tell.
susie
I've read your posts, and it is the CNN/Time mantra of get Brown, while ignoring the true incompetants, blanco/nagin.
Please elaborate when you are fully alert.
On what basis? He formally offered to federalize the National Guard effort on September 2nd, and Blanco turned down the offer.
The Army National Guard is one component of the total U.S. Army, which consists of Active, Guard, and Reserve components. The Army National Guard is composed of citizen-soldiers civilians who serve their country on a part-time basis. Each state and territory has its own Army National Guard as established in the United States Constitution. The Army National Guard provides more than half the combat power of America's Army, as well as more than a third of its combat support and combat service support structure.The Guard has a unique dual mission, with both Federal and State responsibilities. During peacetime, the Governor, through the State Adjutant General, commands the Guard forces. The Governor can call the Guard into action during local or statewide emergencies, such as storms, drought, and civil disturbances, to name a few. In addition, the President of the United States can activate the National Guard to participate in Federal missions.
No excuse. I don't like his comments many times either. Still, I find most are taken out of context and blown out of proportion as to what he said. Because he is out front on the border issue, he gets the attention.
No, you're wrong. I wrote that IF he padded his resume, he should resign. Do you have factual information that FACTUALLY disputes the charge that he falsely padded his resume?
If you don't, then you really don't have anything important to add to the discussion. Again.
Unfortunately, if there are problems with his bio, just reading it won't clarify this issue. Time magazine would be reckless to say the least to highlight their article alleging resume padding by Brown, so I hesitate to dismiss the allegations out of hand. But of course, the MSM certainly has a track record of lazy or dishonest reporting -- as the Rathergate memo debacle made clear.
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