Bush: "I'd rather they beat up on him (Brownie) than me or Chertoff"

[Human Torch]

Email to Brown claims Bush was happy former FEMA head was taking heat for Katrina response



RAW STORY
Published: Friday June 9, 2006

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Email_to_Brown_claims_Bush_was_0609.html

An "embarrasing email" leaked by former FEMA head Michael Brown to CNN quotes President Bush as saying at a Cabinet meeting held shortly after Katrina that he was pleased that Brown was taking most of the heat for the federal government's roundly criticized response to the hurricane.

"I'd rather they beat up on him than me or Chertoff," President Bush allegedly said at the meeting, referring to the head of the Department of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff. The sender also thanked Brown for "diverting hostile fire away from the leader."

CNN wasn't able to conclusively confirm that the email sent on September 7, 2005 came from the White House, but Brown said that it was sent to him by a high-level White House official, and the sender's email address ends with "eop.gov," as in "Executive Office of the President." The sender's name was blocked out by the network, as per Brown's request.

Full text of the email:

I did hear of one reference to you, at the Cabinet meeting yesterday. I wasn't there but I heard someone commented that the press was sure beating up on Mike Brown, to which the President replied, "I'd rather they beat up on him than me or Chertoff." Congratulations on doing a great job of diverting hostile fire away from the leader.

The email can be viewed at this link.

[chelsea0011]

1. Has the press questioned Bush about this or has there been

any response to this? Or has the media decided Katrina is old news?

[Human Torch]

2. I haven't seen it mentioned outside of Raw Story...

...the CNN link provided simply takes you to the PDF file of the e-mail.

I think the media's focus right now is on how Zarqawi tried to climb off the stretcher while dying. Any stories about Bush and Katrina sacrificial lambs like Brownie will probably sink like a rock because we got Zarqawi...go team.

And I'm sure that's exactly how Bush prefers it.

:patriot:

[chelsea0011]

3. This climbing off the stretcher story really does have some legs.

[oasis]

5. Wolf Blitzer interviewed Brownie about the e-mail yesterday. nt

[Human Torch]

8. Missing from the Situation Room section of the CNN Web Site, though.

That may be because they haven't updated it yet, but since I don't watch CNN, my first knowledge of it came through the Raw Story piece.

:patriot:

[applegrove]

4. Has it been confirmed what the email source was? I don't think so.

[BlueCaliDem]

6. What bothers ME is that one word in the last sentence of this email...

..."Congratulations on doing a great job of diverting hostile fire away from the leader."

No one else caught that?

The leader???

Not "the president"?

The "leader" in that sentence smacks of "dein Fuhrer". Also, it hints to how the WH aides view Bush.

Now that's scary!

[lumpy]

9. "The leader"... I caught that also.

Sig heil

[rep the dems]

7. Don't worry, George.

We'll beat up on you too.

[Auntie Bush]

10. Well that explains why bush said, "You're doing a heck of of job Brownie"

He meant he was doing a heck of a job of deflecting all the criticism away from him...and silly us...took him at his word and completely misunderstood. When will we learn!?