A time for accountability

Those responsible will be held accountable...
- President George W. Bush

Ebbers, Lay, Chertoff, Brown.

What do those four names have in common?
All were the leaders of their organizations or corporations and all failed to perform their duties and their negligent actions affected the lives of tens of thousands of people.

What do those names not have in common?
Two of them, Bernie Ebbers and Ken Lay, cost people their life savings. Two of them, Mike Chertoff and Michael Brown, cost people their lives.

Ebbers is in jail serving the equivalent of a life sentence. Lay is awaiting trial and faces a prison sentence of up to 175 years if convicted. Chertoff and Brown are maintaining their jobs, and were praised by the President.

You explain it... I certainly cannot.

Regarding Michael Brown:

But officials acknowledged Tuesday the first department-wide appeal for help came only as the storm raged.

Brown also urged local fire and rescue departments outside Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi not to send trucks or emergency workers into disaster areas without an explicit request for help from state or local governments.

Regarding Michael Chertoff:

Meanwhile, the airline industry said the government's request for help evacuating storm victims didn't come until late Thursday afternoon. The president of the Air Transport Association, James May, said the Homeland Security Department called then to ask if the group could participate in an airlift for refugees.

Those responsible will be held accountable...

... or will they?