Katrina Brownout

One good whack. That's the most efficient way to make heads roll. But in keeping with the government's disastrous response to Hurricane Katrina, even removing the embattled director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is proving to be a tortured, drawn-out affair. Precisely one week after George W. Bush publicly commended FEMA's Michael Brown for "doing a heck of a job," Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff sent the deer-in-headlights leader back to Washington and put Coast Guard Vice Admiral Thad Allen in charge of relief efforts.

Although Brown was officially kicked upstairs to help prepare for future natural disasters, the move came after nearly two weeks of criticism of his management failure and less than 24 hours after TIME.com reported he had padded his résumé. One instance: in 2002, when he was nominated as FEMA's deputy director, documents Brown submitted for his Senate confirmation hearing--which lasted all of 42 minutes--led Connecticut's Joseph Lieberman to cite the nominee's "useful experience ... as assistant city manager in Edmond [Okla.], with responsibility for police, fire and emergency services." But according to Brown's former boss, then city manager Bill Dashner, as well as current Edmond officials, that job description was overblown. "He was my administrative assistant," Dashner says. "Every now and again, I'd ask him to write me a speech." FEMA public-affairs officer Nicol Andrews acknowledges that Brown started as an intern but says he later helped lead negotiations with the police and fire departments. Asked whether Brown's removal was related to his disputed bio, a Homeland Security official said, "There's clearly been a lot of reporting about his résumé."

At a press conference last week, Chertoff wouldn't let Brown field questions about the TIME.com report and whether the recall was a prelude to the FEMA chief's resignation. Afterward, Brown told the Associated Press he planned to go home and get "a stiff margarita and a good night's sleep." --By Jeremy Caplan. With reporting by Timothy J. Burger, Rita Healy and Carolina Miranda