James Lee Witt under the microscope

[ben_meyers]

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19918356/

In the traumatic days after Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco turned to one of the most respected names in emergency management: James Lee Witt, the so-called Master of Disaster. But an eight-month investigation by NBC News into the performance and billing practices of Witt’s firm, James Lee Witt Associates, raises questions about profiteering, cronyism and possible falsification of records by one of Witt Associates’ subcontractors.





Read more: http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/2007/07/james_lee_witt_under_the_micro.aspx

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While you were watching the debate, NBC dropped this little turd into the punch bowl. Guess who this is aimed at? Hint FOB, Arkansas etc.

[stillcool]

1. The hypocracy is breath-taking... n/t

[SharonAnn]

3. It is spelled "hypocrisy"

[stillcool]

4. thanks...

I did question it, but bullied on ahead sans the spell-check.

[Lance_Boyle]

15. I think the parent poster's spelling is correct

in reference to our form of government. ;-)

[babylonsister]

2. This is depressing; he seems to have been a better man when he

worked for the government and money wasn't an issue. Money is the root of all evil! And he used to be one to point to and think there might be more like him.

[Nite Owl]

5. I saw that on the nightly news

which I never watch but it was on in the kitchen tonight for some reason. I'd give Witt the benefit of the doubt, hear his side before believing this.
Why this story on him when all the others, Haliburtin, Blackwater etc have been doing so much worse? Do they do stories on them too? As I said I haven't watched the nightly news in a long time so maybe they did cover them also.

[ovidsen]

6. What a t.ragedy.

James Lee Witt was, hands down, the best administrator FEMA'S ever had. He was derided by Bush-bots as a crony, but while he was from Arkansas, a place not unknown for fires and floods, he headed that state's disaster reponse team with efficiency and organization. In fact, about the only complaint against him was that he demanded results. If he wanted something done by yesterday, it was done yesterday. Or else.

He quickly turned an inept group of FEMA bureaucrats in Washington into crack teams that could be mobilied into disaster teams in moments. He sort of dropped the ball when Andrew hit the Miami area, but quickly learned from his errors. There isn't a man or woman in government I want standing behind me when a natural or man-made disaster hits than James Lee Witt.

Then bring in President Bush and his appointments of no-nuts Michael Chertoff and that "heck of a guy" Michael Brown, the fired horse lawyer. Two guys, both blatant political appointees who couldn't find their own butts with a map and a fashlight.

And please note that this alleged "scandal" had nothing to do with James De Witt. It has to do with a subcontractor who worked for a contractor who worked for his firms.

A finer, nastier case of "swift-boating", using questional evidence of the flimsiest kind to link de Witt to a "scandal" that may not even be true reeks of GOP partisanship. George Bush and his cronies who though this one up aren't fit enough to take de Witt's toenail clipppings to the trash-can..

[Chomskyite]

8. Slight correction

Hurricane Andrew hit during GHW Bush's administration in August of 92.

[ovidsen]

17. I think you may have misunderstood me...

One of President Bush's first acts after being sworn in was the overhauling (read: dismantling) of FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. James Lee Witt was eased out (whether he was demoted or :reassigned" under pressure is an open question). The The first acid test of FEMA came on 9/11/01 which, as you know, FEMA failed miserably. I blame that on the dumbass political appointees that Bush brought in to replace the professionals who apparently weren't deemed loyal enough to wipe the spittle from George's suit jacket when he waxed on about his Texas ranch.

And then 4 years later, came Katrina. FEMA, already purged of people who actually knew something about disaster relief, was essentially phased out AFTER 9/11, in favor of people like fired horse-lawyer and Bush suck up Michael (You're doin' a heck of a job, Brownie!") Brown. 9/11 was a learning experience for many, but not for the FEMA folks, or the folks at FEMA who now worked under them. There's no point in me detailing what happened after the storm hit, You know the story as well as I do.

The point I was trying to make is that, as far as I'm concerned, Bush, Cheney and Co. could not have made the post-Katrina misery worse even if they had tried.

And much of this was due to the fact that Bush marginalized seasoned professionals and replaced them with just-out-of-college kids who didn't have months, much less years under their belts, and were totally mesmerized so much by working under a Presidential administration (ANY ADMINISTRATION... Cheney, cleverly disguised as that moran Bush, Clinton, whomever.) that they completely forgot about the life-or-death jobs they had. Helping people who had literally lost everything but their lives, and doing it promptly. efficiently, with big genuine "we're here to help you" smiles on their faces.

I lay the responsibility of these massive f**kups squarely at the feet of Bush and Cheney, who were so pre-occupied with polishing their images at ribbon cutting ceremonies and screened public meetings that they actually forgot that the jobs of President and Vice President are really important, and involve so much more than public relations campaigns.

[Jim Sagle]

7. Another Arkansas scandal? Like Whitewater? Troopergate?

Madison Guaranty?

Those were all phony. Don't believe the tripe.

[Chomskyite]

9. I noticed Lisa Myers is involved in the story

Be verrry suspicious. She has been a partisan Republican reporter for decades. She was an open conduit from Kenneth Starr's shop to the media.

[SpiralHawk]

10. A republicon corporate media propaganda puppet

no integrity, no honor. unworthy of trust.

[hollowdweller]

11. Rather than fess up that they effed up Katrina the RW is trying to divert attention

[spotbird]

13. That's true,

which is exactly why he should have stayed beyond reproach. It was a no brainer that he'd get caught.

[spotbird]

12. If this is true, it breaks

my heart. He was a hero of mine. As a Democrat, he should have known to never, ever step out of bounds. If he was going to act like this and expect to get away with it he should have switched parties.

[SoCalDem]

14. How utterly ODD.. a EIGHT MONTH investigation into an administration

that ENDED in 2001?? and yet very little, if ANY real investigation of the MASSIVE frauds & outrages of the CURRENT administration is "necessary"..

What's next NBC?

A hard-hitting expose' of Grover Cleveland's adminsitration?

And why no OUTCRY about the LACK of ANY information about Poppy's adminsitration or Reagan's??

[lazer47]

16. I know James Lee personally,, and he is as straight as an arrow.

and can stand his own ground in any Investigation.period

[Chomskyite]

18. He better get ready then

Bobby Jindal's probably going to be the next governor. There'll definitely be investigations from his end. It'll be great to see Jindal find nothing and this be exposed as the usual Lisa Myers GOP propaganda.

[Spazito]

19. It seems NBC did a less than stellar job on their reporting

which is NO surprise. The response letter by the James Lee Witt Associates is quite detailed and, given the way the MSM behaves these days, seems quite credible, imo.