Sleeping Dog Blog

He's not fired, but FEMA director Michael "Drownie" Brown has been "relieved of his onsite command" of the recovery effort.

The AP reports:

Democratic lawmakers weren't satisfied with the move; they immediately demanded Brown's ouster from FEMA.

"The events of the last ten days have shown that Mr. Brown has repeatedly exercised poor judgment and has failed in his basic responsibilities," said a letter to Bush from Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid and Sens. Dick Durbin, Debbie Stabenow and Charles E. Schumer. "His continued presence in this critical position endangers the success of the ongoing recovery efforts. ... It is not enough to remove Mr. Brown from the disaster scene."

Republican Sen. Trent Lott, whose Pascagoula, Miss., home was destroyed in the storm, said he, too, had concluded that FEMA "was overwhelmed, undermanned and not capable of doing its job" under Brown's leadership.

"Michael Brown has been acting like a private, instead of a general," Lott said.

One week ago, President Bush said:

"Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job."

Again, the AP:

(Secretary of Homeland Security) Chertoff suggested the shift came as the Gulf Coast efforts were entering "a new phase of the recovery operation." He said Brown would return to Washington to oversee the government's response to other potential disasters.
(emphasis mine)

I feel better already.

UPDATE 09/12/05: Drownie has resigned.