10/26/2007

Build Your Own Press Conference, FEMA Edition

Remember Hurricane Katrina two years ago, when FEMA and its director Michael "Heckuva Job, Brownie" Brown botched the situation and gave up information only when publicly shamed into doing so? Well, in response to the California wildfires, FEMA management was determined not to make the same mistakes twice and held a full press conference Tuesday to be more responsive to the public.

Sounds fine, but there was one tiny problem - the press conference was fake.

After all, when you have one of these things you run the risk of reporters asking uncomfortable questions. I mean, who wants to be asked something like, "Why were so much of the California National Guard's resources sent to Iraq?" It's much easier to put on a phony press conference in which you look good for the cameras and you know for certain what the questions will be.

So FEMA employees simply pretended to be reporters and put on a show. The cast included:
  • Cindy Taylor, deputy director of external affairs
  • Michael Widomski, deputy director of public affairs
  • John Philbin, director of external affairs
Together, they lobbed the softest of softball questions at deputy administrator Harvey Johnson. For example, take this hard-hitting query and its equally piercing response:
Q: Are you happy with FEMA's response so far?
A: I'm very happy with FEMA's response so far.
And this nonsense was carried live on Fox, MSNBC and other channels.

Every time you think these guys can't get any more cartoonish, they go and top themselves. Unreal.

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