Skip Navigation
Chris Good

Chris Good - Chris Good is a political reporter for ABC News. He was previously an associate editor at The Atlantic and a reporter for The Hill.

Obama's FEMA Nominee to Appear in NOLA: Political?

By Chris Good
Mar 4 2009, 1:17 PM ET Comment

The White House announced today that Craig Fugate, director of Florida's Division of Emergency Management, will be President Obama's nominee as FEMA director, and that he'll appear tomorrow in New Orleans with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. While sending the new FEMA nominee to NOLA may be a show of nonpolitical support for the city as it continues to move on from Katrina, it will inevitably conjure images, for some, of Michael Brown and the disaster of 2005, and, intended or not, the political significance of tomorrow's event is unmistakable.

For several years, President Bush's critics have cited Hurricane Katrina as a main charge to be leveled at Bush's presidency--a point many will likely recall in New Orleans and elsewhere when Fugate appears tomorrow. Obama has repudiated Bush aggressively and repeatedly during his first month and a half in office, as Ron Brownstein noted earlier this week; tomorrow's event may have the impact of yet another repudiation, regardless of whether it's a political event per se.


Presented by

More at The Atlantic

The End of Soda? The End of Soda?
The Intersection of Design and Technology The Intersection of Design and Technology
SNL's Mick Jagger Episode: 5 Best Scenes SNL's Mick Jagger Episode: 5 Best Scenes
'Battleship': Not as Bad as It Should Have Been 'Battleship' the Film: Not as Bad as It Should Have Been
Facebook's Amazing Growth in the Developing World Facebook's Amazing Growth in the Developing World

Join the Discussion

After you comment, click Post. If you’re not already logged in you will be asked to log in or register.
blog comments powered by Disqus
Special Report
Curing What Ails the Health Care System Reuters Curing What Ails the Health Care System
The third installment of America the Fixable—an Atlantic special report Read more ›

Just In

View All Correspondents

The Biggest Story in Photos

Scenes From Brazil

May 18, 2012

Subscribe Now

SAVE 59%! 10 issues JUST $2.45 PER COPY

Facebook

Newsletters

Sign up to receive our free newsletters

(sample)

(sample)

(sample)

(sample)

(sample)

(sample)