A study incompetence or just studied incompetence?

The nation, and particularly the poor unfortunates trapped in New Orleans or simply suffering throughout the gulf states, are paying the price -- dearly -- for the Cheney administration's habit of hiring incompetent buddies of our incompetent president.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 2 - On Thursday night, Michael D. Brown, the federal government's point man for managing the response to Hurricane Katrina, made a remarkable confession on live television.

Speaking of the thousands stranded at the convention center in New Orleans without food or water, Mr. Brown said that his agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, had just learned of their plight.

CNN's Paula Zahn was incredulous. "Sir," she said, "you aren't just telling me you just learned that the folks at the convention center didn't have food and water until today, are you? You had no idea they were completely cut off?"

"Paula," Mr. Brown replied unequivocally, "the federal government did not even know about the convention center people until today."

[...]

Mr. Brown, 50, is a Republican lawyer who worked for the International Arabian Horse Association before joining FEMA in 2001 as general counsel. This week he has become the public face of an agency that critics say has lost focus and clout since it was absorbed in 2003 by the new Department of Homeland Security.

In past administrations, governing was something to be taken seriously.

Meanwhile, we have another strong contender in the battle to be the biggest asshole in the wake of a devestating, collosal tragedy.

Why is New Orleans in so much worse shape today than New York City was after the attacks on Sept. 11?

The short answer is that New York was attacked by fire, not water. But then why are urbanites so much better prepared to cope with fire than with flooding? Mostly because they learned to fight fire without any help from the Army Corps of Engineers or the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

He goes on to make the specious claim that if only the feds would get out of the flood recovery and prevention business, allowing private insurance to fill the void, we'd all be better off. But, you ask, the private companies won't insure people living in places like New Orleans; maybe the entire gulf coast? Exactly, according to someone like John Tierney. Why don't they choose to live in safer places, like the Upper East Side?

Wanker.

The army corps of engineers and FEMA are the federal equivalent of insurance. Private insurance can't provide flood insurance because unlike an urban fire, flooding happens to the environment itself. It doesn't end at the end of the property line, or the block.

But Tierney's comment also pisses me off; I'm tired of this immediate comparison with September 11, 2001 and, more egregious still, comparison of the New Orleans mayor with America's Mayor™. As horrible as the murderous destruction of the World Trade Center, it was a self contained event. His entire city wasn't on fire. He wasn't working out of a hotel with no electricity, telephones...water. Enough already.

And if this is true, it is just shocking.