Chertoff: FEMA to blame for Katrina bungling

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff takes the heat off of Louisiana's state and local officials for the response to Hurricane Katrina.

Buried deep within this Washington Post story, Chertoff disavows former FEMA chief Michael Brown's assertion that Louisiana was "dysfunctional" before, during and after the storm.

Most of the blame for the slow 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.

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

"From my own experience, I don't endorse those views," he said.

Interestingly, the L.A. Times brings the vindication of Louisiana officials up to the top of its own story.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency's lack of planning, not the failures of state and local officials, was to blame for much of what went wrong with the government's response to Hurricane Katrina, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told member of Congress today.

The assessment by the most senior administration official to answer legislators' questions since the hurricane struck in late August contrasted sharply with testimony offered earlier by former FEMA Director Michael Brown. Brown had blamed the "dysfunction" of Louisiana state and local officials for the problems that hobbled the relief effort.

"From my own experience, I don't endorse those views," Chertoff said.

He told lawmakers that he found the governors and mayors of the region to be responsive as the crisis unfolded.

Either way you slice it, it looks like the feds lose the blame game on this one.