Can't Win for Losing?

"Local officials, in the end, said they were satisfied that Bush listened to their concerns. They said they are cautiously optimistic that much-needed aid would begin to arrive."

Brownie Speaks

The former director of FEMA yesterday blamed dysfunctional Louisiana officials for the botched relief effort after Katrina, and responded bitterly to scornful cracks about his own conduct from a mostly Republican congressional panel.

But the longer-term significance of his testimony may be the smattering of light he shed into the goings-on at the White House during the days just before and just after the hurricane hit.

Raymond Hernandez writes in the New York Times: "Michael D. Brown, who stepped down as director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency after the government's much-criticized response to Hurricane Katrina, told a Congressional committee on Tuesday that he had warned the White House of impending disaster several days before the storm struck.

"Asked when the White House became aware that a 'disaster was looming' in the Gulf Coast region, Mr. Brown said he had warned Andrew H. Card Jr., President Bush's chief of staff, at least three days before the hurricane hit New Orleans on Aug. 28. . . .

"In his testimony, Mr. Brown was careful not to blame President Bush or the White House for the government's handling of the situation. But his comments raised questions about whether the White House responded aggressively enough in light of the warnings Mr. Brown said he offered."

Here's the full transcript from yesterday's hearing.

A few excerpts:

"BROWN: On Saturday and Sunday, I started talking to the White House.

"Rep. CHRISTOPHER SHAYS (R-Conn.): To who? The White House is a big place.

"BROWN: Uh-huh.

"SHAYS: Give us specifics. I'm not asking about conversations yet. I want to know who you contacted.