Birnbaum goes under the bus

On Thursday, President Obama fired Elizabeth Birnbaum, the woman he selected to head up the Department of Interior's Minerals Management Service.  MMS is the agency responsible for regulatory oversight of offshore oil and drilling and production.

Like her boss, prior to being put in charge of a large, complex organization with many employees and very serious responsibilities, Ms. Birnbaum had absolutely no management experience, whatsoever.  She was however, a very ardent and diligent environmental activist.

From 1987 through to 1991 she served as counsel for the National Wildlife Federation's Water Resources Program. Impressive management training there huh sports fans?

From 1991 to 1999 she was counsel for the House Committee on Natural Resources, where she handled really hard management stuff, including duties such as legislation writing and oversight activities for the U.S. Forest Service.

For the next two years, she did actually have a supervisory job. Kind of. She was Associate Solicitor for Mineral Resources from 2000 to 2001, where she "managed" a staff of several lawyers providing legal advice and litigation services for MMS.

From 2001-2007, she was Vice President for Government Affairs and General Counsel for American Rivers, and from 2007 until her appointment to head MMS in 2009, she was the staff director for the Committee on House Administration, where she oversaw really, really hard stuff like strategic planning for the agencies that serve the legislative branch. Architect of the Capital, House Historian... You know, important jobs that affect the lives and livelihoods of millions.

I'm sure Ms. Birnbaum is a nice, professional and well-meaning lady. I bear no ill will to her personally. But do you see anything in this resume that qualified her to head up an agency with the responsibilities of MMS?

UPDATE: Birnmbaum Bio

Extra Point: What are the chances Ms. Birnbaum lands a job in either the energy or the environmental litigation sectors?