Did Chertoff just admit it WASN'T the fault of state/local officials?

[jobycom]

From the AP story about his testimony today:

"Most of the blame for the federal response to Katrina has fallen on Brown, who resigned last month after Chertoff removed him from direct responsibility for Katrina relief and recovery efforts.

Brown blamed state and local officials in Louisiana for the slow response to Katrina when he testified before the committee last month. Chertoff disagreed.

"From my own experience, I don't endorse those views," he said."
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Does that mean Chertoff is admitting the state and local officials did it right? Is someone at the federal level FINALLY exonerating Nagin and Blanco from the horrendous smears of the right wing email spin machine?

I haven't found a transcript to see if AP took this out of context, or if Chertoff meant exactly what they say he meant. If that's what he meant, THAT should have been the title of the article, and a big headline to boot!