*Sniff Sniff* Does anyone else smell a Turd Blossom in here?

Still on his whirlwind tour in support of his latest single, “I Ain’t Your Scapegoat, Baby,” erstwhile FEMA chief and world record holder for Most Embarrassing Emails Sent in a Professional Capacity, Michael Brown, is in front of the cameras again, fighting fire with fire. Or, more accurately, emails with emails.

The former emergency management chief who quit amid widespread criticism over his handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina said he received an e-mail before his resignation stating President Bush was glad to see the Oval Office had dodged most of the criticism…

The e-mail stated that Bush was relieved that Brown -- and not Bush or Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff -- was bearing the brunt of the flak over the government's handling of Katrina.

The September 2005 e-mail reads: "I did hear of one reference to you, at the Cabinet meeting yesterday. I wasn't there, but I heard someone commented that the press was sure beating up on Mike Brown, to which the president replied, 'I'd rather they beat up on him than me or Chertoff.'"

The sender adds, "Congratulations on doing a great job of diverting hostile fire away from the leader."

The sender’s name has been redacted from the email, but Brown identified the sender as a "good friend of the president," who has been with the president "a long time." Okay, that could be a lot of people. Harriet Miers, for instance—but the glaring lack of enthusiasm about how totally cool! George Bush is clearly rules her out. Could be Karen Hughes, but the quote seems too straightforward; we all know how much she likes to clean up his quotes. (Maybe we could get Tucker Carlson to talk to her about it.) That leaves a few other possibilities, but I’m thinking Rove. Why? Because “Congratulations on doing a great job of diverting hostile fire away from the leader” sounds like a line ripped from the dénouement of a Star Trek film. And there’s no one I can more clearly imagine spending his free time at a Trekkie convention than Karl Rove.


Live long and prosper. Those tax cuts should help.