Brownie Under Fire

Money quote from the Brown hearing, thus far: "I had a very good relationship with President Bush. Unfortunately, he called 'Brownie' at the wrong time."

The real reason he didn't demand faster response from DHS: Didn't want to be perceived as "a whiner."

"I had a mission: that mission was to help disaster victims." He was a one-man search-and-rescue operation! He was loading up a mule (a flotating, aqua-mule) with three tons of fresh drinking water, antibiotics, flood-proof innertubes, and freeze-dried astronaut food, when he was halted by BUREAUCRACY! Chertoff, flanked by a dozen DHS suits brandishing org hierarchy charts and shivs, stopped him to demand that he go thru the chain-of-command.

"DAMMIT, Chertoff," Brown shouted, throwing down his Bluetooth-enabled impoverished-flood-victim-divining rod, "people are DYING out there!"

"You're a loose cannon, Brown -- you're gettingtoo close! Andy Card wants your badge!"

"He canhave it, Chertoff. I will say as much in my email to my deputy, which I hope the committee will enter into the record at this time."

The Brown defense relies very obviously on his seeming like a coplete, jibbering idiot -- thus placing the blame squarely on the people who appointed him.

UPDATE: Brown just said "dad-gum."

 Brown Asserts He Alerted White House Quickly on Katrina [NYT]