Former Federal Emergency Management Agency Michael Brown is turning out to be a Class-A prick. After bungling the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts and returning to Washington, D.C., in shame, Brown found the courage to go before a House committee and … blame others.

“My biggest mistake was not recognizing by Saturday that Louisiana was dysfunctional,” Brown told the panel. (The hurricane actually made landfall on Monday, Aug. 29.)

That’s funny, because we were about to suggest that his biggest mistake was not finding a way to evacuate hundreds of poor residents of New Orleans, many of whom later drowned. But more on that in a second.

“I’ve overseen over 150 presidentally declared disasters. I know what I’m doing and I think I do a pretty darn good job of it,” Brown added.

Really? We know President Bush thinks “Brownie” did “a heck of a job” in the days immediately following the disaster, but here’s our question: If he does such a good job, why was he sent packing back to D.C., and why did he later resign his post? (More on that in a second, too.)

Brown tried to say that he personally tried to persuade Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco to order an evacuation, but she didn’t. Alas, that’s not true: Blanco did give the evacuation order, and she did it two days before Katrina hit, on Aug. 27.

And Brown’s testimony got some negative reviews from other people, too. U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., lambasted him thusly: “I’m happy you left. That kind of look in the lights like a deer tells me you weren’t capable of doing the job.” And his colleague, U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, was equally blunt: “I don’t know how you can sleep at night. You lost the battle.”

Indeed he did, but it looks like the war is going well. According to a story printed in the Review-Journal, Brown is still on FEMA’s payroll, consulting at what would be an annual rate of $148,000 per year! We cannot imagine what advice he’s giving FEMA, but we sure as hell hope they’re doing the precise opposite.