Mike Brown's Prelude to Katrina

Witt makes presence known in La.

Maybe ... just maybe ... there was a lesson here that someone should have taken note of:

Over the past several years, GOP lawmakers have sought Witt?s counsel, including Reps. Bill Shuster (Pa.), Christopher Shays (Conn.) and Jerry Lewis (Calif.).

"James Lee Witt was an outstanding director of FEMA and is a good choice by the governor, regardless of the activities of FEMA," said former Rep. Bob Livingston (R-La.), who is now a top lobbyist.

Witt met with Shuster and Shays earlier this summer to discuss the fallout of removing FEMA?s emergency-preparedness function from its mission.

As fires raged in his congressional district in 2003, Lewis ? who had chaired the appropriations subcommittee that funds FEMA when Witt was FEMA?s chief ? became frustrated with the agency because it did not respond to the disaster as quickly as it should have, said Lewis spokesman Jim Specht.

"[Lewis?s] biggest concern was that FEMA hadn?t been able to come up with a plan" to prepare for a disaster, Specht added.

Lewis relied on Witt to help cajole FEMA?s bureaucracy to plan for what could have become a federal disaster area. Lewis and Brown eventually toured the vicinity in a helicopter.

Too damed familiar.