In the days since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) director Michael D Brown, who was relieved of his role co-ordinating the response, has come under attack, with critics charging that his lack of prior experience in dealing with natural disasters contributed to his agency's poor performance.
But Mr Brown is just one of at least five senior Fema officials appointed by President Bush whose backgrounds showed few qualifications in disaster relief.
More than a year before the hurricane hit New Orleans, the head of a labour union representing Fema workers sent a letter to members of Congress charging that "emergency managers at Fema have been supplanted on the job by politically- connected contractors and by novice employees with little background or knowledge" of disaster management.
"As . . . professionalism diminishes, Fema is gradually losing its ability to function and to help disaster victims," the letter said.
People appointed to run domestic government agencies frequently have political connections. But for many top positions, some relevant background is required as well.
Mr Brown, a career attorney active in Republican party politics, was hired to be Fema's general counsel by Joe Allbaugh, an old friend and the agency's first director under Mr Bush.
Before Fema, Mr Brown worked for nearly a decade at the International Arabian Horse Association. His responsibilities included supervising horse-show judges.
Mr Allbaugh - a long-time aide to President Bush, who had managed his 2000 campaign - resigned as Fema director in 2003 and opened a consulting firm that helped companies win contracts in Iraq. Mr Brown, who had risen to become Mr Allbaugh's top deputy, took charge.
Mr Brown is not the only official who came to the agency with scant disaster-management background. His acting deputy director, Patrick James Rhode, began his professional career as an "anchor/reporter with network-affiliated television stations in Alabama and Arkansas", according to his resume on Fema's website.
Mr Rhode later did public relations work for several state agencies in Texas before becoming deputy director of national advance operations for Mr Bush's 2000 presidential campaign.
Before moving to Fema in 2003, Mr Rhode served as a special assistant to the president and White House liaison with the commerce department. He donated $2,000 to Bush's 2004 campaign.
Daniel Craig, director of Fema's recovery division since October 2003, "is responsible for planning and executing the federal government's recovery efforts following major disasters," according to the Fema website. Before coming to Fema he worked for the eastern regional office of the US chamber of commerce.
Both Mr Allbaugh and Mr Brown were Oklahoma natives involved in that state's Republican politics. Fema's acting deputy chief of staff, Brooks Altshuler, also hails from Oklahoma. And like Mr Rhode, Mr Altshuler was an advance man for President Bush.
Mr Altshuler was a minor donor to the Republican party in 2004, giving $250 to the Bush campaign and another $250 to the Republican National Committee.
Scott R Morris, who held Mr Altshuler's job until May and now is a Fema official in Florida, had been a Republican party activist as far back as the 1996 presidential campaign of Sen Bob Dole, when he handled grass-roots activities and media strategies.
He later served as "a media strategist for the 'George W Bush for President' primary campaign and the Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign," according to his resume.
Natalie Rule, a Fema spokeswoman, said Mr Brown had received "on-the-job training" in dealing with more than 200 presidentially declared disasters since coming to the agency.
In June 2004, a union which represents Fema workers, wrote to members of Congress to warn about alleged cronyism at the agency. The letter said the practice initially "took place mainly at the senior levels of Fema, but it has now entered into the mid-level and working-level".
"The ability of Fema to manage emergencies and disasters is being seriously eroded," the letter said.