Shays rips into former FEMA chief

Whoa, this was ugly. I have the video for those who haven't seen the exchange and I'll post it later.

From the Connecticut Post

Rep. Christopher Shays lashed into ex-Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Michael Brown Tuesday, saying he failed to do his job during Hurricane Katrina.

"I'm happy you left," the 4th District Republican from Connecticut told Brown. "That kind of look in the lights like a deer tells me you weren't capable of doing that job."

Brown, appearing before a special congressional committee investigating the government's response to Katrina, said his biggest mistake "was not recognizing by Saturday that Louisiana was dysfunctional."

Brown said the reluctance of New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, both Democrats, to order an early evacuation was "the tipping point for all the things that went wrong."

Brown said he should have done more to persuade them to evacuate the city earlier. A mandatory evacuation was not ordered until Sunday morning — a day too late, he said.

Brown's defense drew a scathing response from Rep. William Jefferson of Louisiana, one of three Democrats who sat in on the hearing. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., refused to appoint members to the panel, saying she wants an independent commission appointed.

"I find it absolutely stunning that this hearing would start out with you, Mr. Brown, laying the blame for FEMA's failings at the feet of the governor of Louisiana and the mayor of New Orleans," Jefferson said.

Brown blaming others for his failures just proves just how unqualified this person was to handle this disaster and people probably died because of his incompetence.