Tel-Chai Nation

Poor Michael D. Brown is desperate, and it shows. He's trying to defend himself against the charges of negligence in dealing with Katrina by saying that it's the Louisiana governor, the New Orleans mayor, and even the White House that are at fault, but not him. Ahem. Yes, the mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin, is very much at fault for abandoning the city in its time of need, and the White House is at fault too for hiring Brown in the first place, when his track record shows he was not qualified for the job to begin with (is running an old age home what one could call having experience needed for environmental matters?). But even so, Brown is still guilty of negligence himself, and will have to take responsibility for what his irresponsibility led to.

A combative Michael Brown blamed the Louisiana governor, the New Orleans mayor and even the Bush White House that appointed him for the dismal response to Hurricane Katrina in a fiery appearance Tuesday before Congress. In response, lawmakers alternately lambasted and mocked the former FEMA director.

House members' scorching treatment of Brown, in a hearing stretching nearly 6 1/2 hours, underscored how he has become an emblem of the deaths, lingering floods and stranded survivors after the Aug. 29 storm. Brown resigned Sept. 12 after being relieved of his onsite command of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's response effort three days earlier.

"I'm happy you left," said Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn. "Because that kind of, you know, look in the lights like a deer tells me that you weren't capable to do the job."

"You get an F-minus in my book," said Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss.

And in my book too. Brown has done little more than to descend into silliness.