FEMA head Michael Brown is history. Via Breitbart/AP:

Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown is being removed from his role managing Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, The Associated Press has learned.

Brown is being sent back to Washington from Baton Rouge, where he was the primary official overseeing the federal government’s response to the disaster, according to two federal officials who declined to be identified before the announcement.

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Question #1: Does this make President Bush a member of the “bed-wetting right,” too?

Answer: No. It makes him someone who has put accountability over cronyism in a time of crisis. Good for him.

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Question #2: While the president is getting rid of dead wood, can he do something about Norman Mineta now?

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More on Brown’s replacement, Vice Adm. Thad W. Allen, the Coast Guard’s chief of staff, from yesterday’s WaPo.

Via USAToday/AP:

FEMA, the federal government’s lead disaster management agency, has been accused of poor planning, a lethargic response, and delaying rapid deployment of aid from the United States and abroad once the magnitude of the damage became apparent.

There were recent signs that Brown’s status was about to change. When Vice President Dick Cheney received a briefing in New Orleans on Thursday on recovery efforts by FEMA and other governmental agencies, it was Allen — not Brown — who led the briefing.

And even though Brown was present at least during part of Cheney’s visit, he was not seen publicly with the vice president.

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Memo to Bush: Fire Michael Brown
FEMA still in the crosshairs
FEMA follies
FEMA in the crosshairs