Michael Gaynor
The truth about Katrina is being told (thanks to Laura Ingraham)
By Michael Gaynor
Ash Wednesday is a fine day for thoughtful people to reflect on what they have done, to jump back from conclusions to which they jumped erroneously and to make amends for any harm they have done.
One such person who did so this year is the lovely Laura Ingraham: lawyer, author, columnist, television personality, host of her own widely syndicated and respected radio program, and ardent conservative Republican. A graduate of Dartmouth College (where she edited The Dartmouth Review), Laura worked as a speechwriter in the final two years of the Reagan Administration at the White House, the Department of Transportation and the Department of Education. She went on to the University of Virginia School of Law, where she was Notes Editor of the Law Review. After graduating, she clerked for Judge Ralph K. Winter on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and United States Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and worked as a white-collar criminal defense attorney for a leading law firm, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.
In 2001 Laura launched "The Laura Ingraham Show" and swiftly became America's top female radio personality. The show description at www.lauraingraham.com states that "on 340 radio stations, Laura takes listeners on a wild ride through the colliding worlds of politics, the news media, and Hollywood"; is "on the watch for evidence of media bias [and] political hypocrisy"; and "infuses her program with a level of energy and commitment to conservative principles that grabs hold and won't let go."
It's actually true, not hype. Laura demonstrated that her commitment to conservative principles included a commitment to the truth, even when the disclosure of the truth shows that even Laura can be caught up in a widespread misconception resulting from media bias and political hypocrisy.
America in general and former FEMA Director Michael D. Brown, his wife, children and grandson are much better off for it. Because last Ash Wednesday Laura graciously invited Mr. Brown to open her show the following morning to discuss the Hurricane Katrina catastrophe and thereby permitted him not only to refute some of the lies and dispel much of the confusion about him and Hurricane Katrina on her show, but paved the way for him to continue to do so on other shows, including television shows.
Laura deserves enormous credit, not only because the mainstream media had furiously demonized Mr. Brown, but because Laura had recently piled on herself.
On February 22, Laura did a Mike Brown segment on her show (without Mr. Brown). Laura reported that a victim of Hurricane Katrina had interviewed Mr. Brown in connection with a project of his own (true) and then skewered Mr. Brown for (1) using the words "Duh...yes" to answer a question to which the answer was obvious (insinuating that he had been incompetent to serve as FEMA Director) and (2) shedding a few tears at the end of the interview when the interviewer, a victim of Hurricane Katrina and a Christian, told Mr. Brown, also a victim of Hurricane Katrina and a Christian, that he had forgiven him. (Laura has a short list of instances in which it is permissible for men to cry and this did not make her list.)
Would a leftist with Laura's obvious articulateness, brilliance and charm (we're speaking theoretically, of course) have invited Mr. Brown to state his case, when he would demonstrate that her own media-driven conclusions about him had been mistaken, or leave him twisting slowly in the wind, so to speak?
Fortunately, (1) Laura is not a leftist, (2) Laura is not too proud to admit a mistake, and (3), since the mainstream media is competive and has a pack mentality, by giving Mr. Brown an opportunity, Laura paved the way for other media outlets to interview him too.
Later that day, Mr. Brown did Tony Snow's radio program. That night, he appeared with Wolf Blitzer on CNN's "The Situation Room." The next day (Friday) Mr. Brown appeared on the CBS and CNN morning news shows, CNBC's "Hardball" with Chris Matthews, again on "The Situation Room" and on Bill Maher's HBO show. On Sunday, he was a guest on Chris Wallace's "Fox News Sunday."
Oh yes, Laura performed a valuable public service and a good deed to one of the many families that suffered as a result of Hurricane Katrina, the Browns. It was Laura who broke the unofficial but theretofore effective embargo on the real story about Hurricane Katrina and why the response to it was inadequate.
The scapegoating of Mr. Brown was a travesty. The conventional wisdom swiftly became that Mr. Brown was the culprit responsible for governmental failure to do much, much better with the challenge of Hurricane Katrina. Not quite as bad as it would have been if the British had blamed Winston Churchill for their unpreparedness when Hitler invaded poland on September 1, 1939 (since Churchill had been a lone voice in the wilderness in a nation that was tired of war and eager to believe that Hitler really was not that bad and could be appeased). But reminiscent of the Roberts Commission report on the Pearl Harbor disaster, blaming everyone on the admiral and the general at Pearl Harbor, with the truth sacrificed for political purposes (with the excuse that America was then fighting World War II and it was a really bad time to really get to the bottom of things).
Actually, (1) Hurricane Katrina was an act of God, (2) under America's federal system of government, state and local authorities are first responders and the role of the federal government is limited to helping upon request, (3) Mr. Brown had ample state and local government experience and a record of success in dealing with 160 natural disasters, including the unpredecented four hurricanes that hit Florida within 60 days during 2004, (4) Mr. Brown had warned of the danger of merging FEMA into the massive, terrorist-focused Homeland Security Department and refusing it adequate funds to prepare for a hurricane like Katrina, only to have his entreaties rejected; (5) Mr. Brown appreciated the nature of the threat posed by Hurricane Katrina long before it struck the Gulf Coast and personally prevailed upon President Bush to persuade Louisian Governor Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin to cooperate in effecting a mandatory evacution before Hurricane Katrina struck, only to have the feuding Governor and Mayor delay for foolish reasons; (6) Mr. Brown was hamstrung by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff (who had zero experience in managing hurricanes) ordering him to do what no prior FEMA Director, Republican or Democrat, had done during a significant natural disaster: manage from afar instead of onscene; and (7) because Democrats wanted to protect their own (Blanco and Nagin), the Bush Administration wanted to protect Secretary Chertoff (who chose to focus on bird flu during the Katrina catastrophe and whined that Mr. Brown was not talking up Secretary Chertoff on the few occasions he spoke to the media and a scapegoat was needed, Mr. Brown was scapegoated.
Laura Ingraham learned that Mr. Brown actually DID do a heckuva job. Millions upon millions more need to learn that too. The truth needs to catch up to the lies.
© Michael Gaynor
Ash Wednesday is a fine day for thoughtful people to reflect on what they have done, to jump back from conclusions to which they jumped erroneously and to make amends for any harm they have done.
One such person who did so this year is the lovely Laura Ingraham: lawyer, author, columnist, television personality, host of her own widely syndicated and respected radio program, and ardent conservative Republican. A graduate of Dartmouth College (where she edited The Dartmouth Review), Laura worked as a speechwriter in the final two years of the Reagan Administration at the White House, the Department of Transportation and the Department of Education. She went on to the University of Virginia School of Law, where she was Notes Editor of the Law Review. After graduating, she clerked for Judge Ralph K. Winter on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and United States Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and worked as a white-collar criminal defense attorney for a leading law firm, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.
In 2001 Laura launched "The Laura Ingraham Show" and swiftly became America's top female radio personality. The show description at www.lauraingraham.com states that "on 340 radio stations, Laura takes listeners on a wild ride through the colliding worlds of politics, the news media, and Hollywood"; is "on the watch for evidence of media bias [and] political hypocrisy"; and "infuses her program with a level of energy and commitment to conservative principles that grabs hold and won't let go."
It's actually true, not hype. Laura demonstrated that her commitment to conservative principles included a commitment to the truth, even when the disclosure of the truth shows that even Laura can be caught up in a widespread misconception resulting from media bias and political hypocrisy.
America in general and former FEMA Director Michael D. Brown, his wife, children and grandson are much better off for it. Because last Ash Wednesday Laura graciously invited Mr. Brown to open her show the following morning to discuss the Hurricane Katrina catastrophe and thereby permitted him not only to refute some of the lies and dispel much of the confusion about him and Hurricane Katrina on her show, but paved the way for him to continue to do so on other shows, including television shows.
Laura deserves enormous credit, not only because the mainstream media had furiously demonized Mr. Brown, but because Laura had recently piled on herself.
On February 22, Laura did a Mike Brown segment on her show (without Mr. Brown). Laura reported that a victim of Hurricane Katrina had interviewed Mr. Brown in connection with a project of his own (true) and then skewered Mr. Brown for (1) using the words "Duh...yes" to answer a question to which the answer was obvious (insinuating that he had been incompetent to serve as FEMA Director) and (2) shedding a few tears at the end of the interview when the interviewer, a victim of Hurricane Katrina and a Christian, told Mr. Brown, also a victim of Hurricane Katrina and a Christian, that he had forgiven him. (Laura has a short list of instances in which it is permissible for men to cry and this did not make her list.)
Would a leftist with Laura's obvious articulateness, brilliance and charm (we're speaking theoretically, of course) have invited Mr. Brown to state his case, when he would demonstrate that her own media-driven conclusions about him had been mistaken, or leave him twisting slowly in the wind, so to speak?
Fortunately, (1) Laura is not a leftist, (2) Laura is not too proud to admit a mistake, and (3), since the mainstream media is competive and has a pack mentality, by giving Mr. Brown an opportunity, Laura paved the way for other media outlets to interview him too.
Later that day, Mr. Brown did Tony Snow's radio program. That night, he appeared with Wolf Blitzer on CNN's "The Situation Room." The next day (Friday) Mr. Brown appeared on the CBS and CNN morning news shows, CNBC's "Hardball" with Chris Matthews, again on "The Situation Room" and on Bill Maher's HBO show. On Sunday, he was a guest on Chris Wallace's "Fox News Sunday."
Oh yes, Laura performed a valuable public service and a good deed to one of the many families that suffered as a result of Hurricane Katrina, the Browns. It was Laura who broke the unofficial but theretofore effective embargo on the real story about Hurricane Katrina and why the response to it was inadequate.
The scapegoating of Mr. Brown was a travesty. The conventional wisdom swiftly became that Mr. Brown was the culprit responsible for governmental failure to do much, much better with the challenge of Hurricane Katrina. Not quite as bad as it would have been if the British had blamed Winston Churchill for their unpreparedness when Hitler invaded poland on September 1, 1939 (since Churchill had been a lone voice in the wilderness in a nation that was tired of war and eager to believe that Hitler really was not that bad and could be appeased). But reminiscent of the Roberts Commission report on the Pearl Harbor disaster, blaming everyone on the admiral and the general at Pearl Harbor, with the truth sacrificed for political purposes (with the excuse that America was then fighting World War II and it was a really bad time to really get to the bottom of things).
Actually, (1) Hurricane Katrina was an act of God, (2) under America's federal system of government, state and local authorities are first responders and the role of the federal government is limited to helping upon request, (3) Mr. Brown had ample state and local government experience and a record of success in dealing with 160 natural disasters, including the unpredecented four hurricanes that hit Florida within 60 days during 2004, (4) Mr. Brown had warned of the danger of merging FEMA into the massive, terrorist-focused Homeland Security Department and refusing it adequate funds to prepare for a hurricane like Katrina, only to have his entreaties rejected; (5) Mr. Brown appreciated the nature of the threat posed by Hurricane Katrina long before it struck the Gulf Coast and personally prevailed upon President Bush to persuade Louisian Governor Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin to cooperate in effecting a mandatory evacution before Hurricane Katrina struck, only to have the feuding Governor and Mayor delay for foolish reasons; (6) Mr. Brown was hamstrung by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff (who had zero experience in managing hurricanes) ordering him to do what no prior FEMA Director, Republican or Democrat, had done during a significant natural disaster: manage from afar instead of onscene; and (7) because Democrats wanted to protect their own (Blanco and Nagin), the Bush Administration wanted to protect Secretary Chertoff (who chose to focus on bird flu during the Katrina catastrophe and whined that Mr. Brown was not talking up Secretary Chertoff on the few occasions he spoke to the media and a scapegoat was needed, Mr. Brown was scapegoated.
Laura Ingraham learned that Mr. Brown actually DID do a heckuva job. Millions upon millions more need to learn that too. The truth needs to catch up to the lies.
© Michael Gaynor
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