Forgetful Frances Townsend Spews on Daily Beast

Frances Townsend penned the following in her Daily Beast column:

When the private sector and the civilian agencies of the federal government fail to anticipate, prepare, respond, and recover from a catastrophic event, we cannot reflexively turn to the U.S. military who are already fully engaged in their assigned missions. When the private sector and civilian agencies—those who are responsible—fail to man, train, and equip themselves for their assigned missions, we must not turn to the only national capability we have confidence in to bail them out!

Funny, Frances did that as a White House civilian, responsible for Homeland Security during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. She contacted Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld as Hurricane Rita raged in the Gulf of Mexico. Her version of the story involves four letter words.

Fran has a long history of working the corporate side while "serving the public." Is she doing that as risk management practice chief for Baker Botts, the law firm of James A. Baker, III? Baker Botts worked for three Deepwater Horizon players, BP, Transocean, and Halliburton. If Fran's under their hire, she should declare her conflict of interest.

Townsend's hack investigation skills are already known. She made no mention of Memorial Medical Center in the White House Lessons Learned report. Who omits the hospital with the highest patient death toll from an investigation, especially one so politically connected?

FEMA drilled on Hurricane Pam and Fran's boss botched Katrina. Townsend ran to Rumsfeld as Rita bore down. This public servant turned to the military when she was clearly unready or incapable of fulfilling "her assigned mission."

Fran waxed sage:

There continue to be failures across the private and public sectors for which the American people must demand accountability. Absent clear accountability we will leave not only this environmental tragedy for our children but the legacy of incompetence for them to correct. We owe them better. We owe them more.

The Bush administration drilled on oil spills in 2002, 2004 and 2007. The Obama team conducted their drill in March 2010. Mrs. Townsend had a role in building America's disaster response, however oily.

As for accountability, I demanded it from Fran's boss, during and after Katrina. For four years and counting, I never heard a peep.

Frances Townsend's beastly column is laughable, yet her reach grows like the oil stain. She owes us better. She owes us more.