full coverage at Huffington Post
What’s it going to take to get the White House of its collective posterior?
I still don’t understand why Obama didn’t appoint Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to the commission instead of politicians. I’m sure Al Gore would have loved to survey the damage and weigh in. For the life of me I cannot understand Pres. Obama’s reluctance, which has turned into plain stubbornness, in not using progressive environmental leaders to go after BP. After finding out the Nature Conservancy is in with BP we need someone with credibility and an eye for vengeance to go after these marauders.
Evidently, it’s the persistent questions from the press that is making team Obama cranky. After all, can’t have accountability from the White House.
It’s official, Pres. Obama has blown it and so has Congress, but as Rayne says today, it’s the job of the Executive Branch to enforce the laws, so what’s taking the President so long? I don’t mention Republicans, because they don’t have the heart to even understand that we’re losing the Gulf Coast while everyone contemplates their Memorial Day picnic plans.
From MSNBC we get an updated version of the story Justin Gillis did for the New York Times:
The scientists point out that in the month since the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded, the government has failed to make public a single test result on water from the deep ocean.
And the scientists say the administration has been too reluctant to demand an accurate analysis of how many gallons of oil are flowing into the sea from the gushing oil well.
“It seems baffling that we don’t know how much oil is being spilled,” Sylvia Earle, a famed oceanographer, said Wednesday on Capitol Hill. “It seems baffling that we don’t know where the oil is in the water column.”
What I posted yesterday was bad enough, with James Carville letting rip over the disaster he’s seeing unfold along his beloved Gulf coast. Now let’s segue to Yobie Benjamin:
PRESIDENT OBAMA’S 10 FAILURES ON BP’S MAN MADE VOLCANIC VENT OF CRUDE OIL
1) Insisting this is BP’s problem is not a solution. It is an abject failure to pass the the command and control to BP. These are US waters, US land and US wildlife and American livelihoods at stake. The surrender of command and control to BP is a failure of leadership.
Mr. President, you’re in-charge. It’s not British Petroleum. BP is a UK company. BP is responsible to its share holders. They are not responsible to the American people or the United States government. If this becomes too much for them to bear, they will declare bankruptcy and walk away and the US taxpayer will end up paying. They could care less about you. They and their cohorts and minions contributed money to defeat you.
2) The US has failed to build any deep sea exploration exploration subs or robotic systems. We build nuclear bombs, space ships and super computers and atom smashers yet we have failed miserably in deep sea research. How is possible that we have failed in our collective imaginations? We know we have hundreds, perhaps thousands of shallow and deep water rigs yet the nation has no capability to respond.
Our coast guard and navy is left emasculated helplessly watching a disaster unfold with no equipment, training or response capability. What good is a trident missile for this tragedy? What value does an aircraft carrier have in this emergency? None, nada, zero, zilch — If that is not a total failure of imagination, it is abject dereliction.
3) NOAA has failed miserably. The NOAA flagship research vessel was in Africa and was not summoned to the gulf till a week ago. This is an abject dereliction of duty on the part of the NOAA administrator. Shame on her. As a marine biologist and oceanographer herself, she should have known better.
..and on and on the list goes.
I don’t know where the die hard Obama fans are right now, but they need to light a fuse under the White House, because this is now Obama’s Katrina, though there are those who think it’s worse.
It hardly matters. We’re losing the Gulf Coat.
Frankly, it’s time to pull BP’s privileges. These incompetents don’t deserve to make another dime off our shores. Let them sue if they don’t like it. Discovery would be a visit to hell.
But as for Pres. Obama’s administration’s management of this problem. The “fierce urgency of now” is MIA.
The WH response to the press is truly unbelievable. They are annoyed that the WH press corp is asking about BP over and over again? Jesus, that’s Bush-style arrogance. The whole administration looks completely out of touch with the environmental and economic impact of what is happening. More and more he is looking like a POTUS who likes to sit back and give lofty speeches but when it comes to getting out there, rolling up his sleeves and solving these day to day problems, he doesn’t want to be bothered.
Obama needs to get in Marine One and head back down there. Pronto.
On MSNBC the other night they talked to a local scientist who said that BP is in charge of all the water studies and they are sending the samples out to one of their private contractor labs. The scientist pointed out that this is bad news since the results will play a big role in any potential liability/damages in future court cases.
Who in the Obama administration thinks that BP isn’t looking out for BP, first and foremost?
Hey, SCB.
Well, I don’t really give a rat’s patoot if Obama goes down to the Gulf. I also am not impressed with politicians leading some ridiculous commission.
Get scientists and environmental leaders who know what the oil companies do in these situations: CYA, doctor numbers, cover up the evidence.
I’m sick to my stomach over what I’m reading about the wetlands. Just absolutely SICK.
Agreed. He needs to worry less about appearing bipartisan at this point and just dig in his heels and do whatever he’s got to do. And quite frankly, yes, the righties will complain but that’s what they do so there is no point trying to work with them or get them on board in any way.
And if Obama flew down their took over everything…the right wing nuts will scream he is overstepping his authority as President. Obama leadership style is to let things workout on their own and he stays out of it…that is how Obama handled the Health Care debate last year. People better get use to it…because he is not changing this approach any time soon.
Honestly, everyone needs to quit talking about this as simply a political issue. I don’t give a crap about the right or the left.
I’ve been down there. Love the place.
This is a deadly, deadly serious environmental horror that is going to kill people’s very lives.
This is about felony federal incompetence. Democrats need to get off their asses and LEAD.
I wish they would LEAD too…but after watching them in charge for over year I SERIOUSLY doubt they can…this who these people are…it would take a massive protest or voting them out office to make them move. So, right now they are in La la land…
By, the way I was born and raised in Louisiana…grew up fishing & crabbing near the gulf coast…Their was some place I couldn’t got to crab anymore because of the chemicals in the water from the massive oil plants. Its sad situation.
Well, if Obama is that inflexible than he could be in big trouble. I wasn’t saying that he has to go down there and set up shop and direct the whole thing, but rather he better start connecting with the real-world implications of this and as Taylor said, put some people in charge that have the knowledge and ability to provide accurate appraisals and help try to salvage this mess- at least to the extent that’s possible. If Obama just wants to sit back and hope this all just goes away, well, then maybe he’s not suited for this job.
I agree, Taylor. This is truly catastrophic – to the wildlife, the people, the tourism, etc. etc. This area will never be the same. I realize this is a result of negligence in the Bush administration over time, but now it is in our leaders’ hands and the response really matters. I don’t understand it, either.
Obama will most likely survive the gulf coast oil massacre…he seems to able to get away with more things then Bush ever did…Luckily, for Obama most Americans still blame BP with him only coming in second. I told my husband when this oil spill first happen that if the oil leak was not stopped soon…that after a month folks will be finally correct in calling it Obama Katrina…Will it destroy Obama?…Honestly, the worst it will do is hurt Dems running down south in November. And Obama poll numbers will continue to decline. But, when you have half of America still screaming for more off shore oil drilling…despite this massive oil spill…that tells you how the public really feels about this destruction to our gulf coast.
The people who blame Obama for not responding enough to the crisis will be the usual suspects Glenn, Sarah, Rush etc… Dems like James Carville and Chris Matthews are corrected in looking at the political aspect of how this appears to the public on Obama lack of leadership. But, what does Obama has to lose personally in his poll number going down…nothing. He seems to be in own little world and says he’ll be fine if he gets to be a one term President.
Taylor, looking at that picture above and others its heart-breaking. Theres so much blame to go around. I do blame the lawmakers as well as president Obama and some in his administration for the lack of response to this horrible oil spill. I think president Obama has been down there once I think !!! BP is only caring about the money and the shareholders. BP does not care because it didn’t happen in the English Channel or the North Sea. I don’t no how this country and the gulf will ever recover from this.
They will not recover…their are parts of the gulf coast people couldn’t fish beforehand do to already leaked harsh chemicals in the water. Now, it appears the oil spill has made it even worse.
We have vacationed several times in Gulf Shores, Alabama and just love it. I am sickened by what’s happening there and simply cannot believe the slow government response, that the admin has now spent, what, 5 weeks? covering their behinds over. It was slow from the get-go and it’s gotten worse since. A commission? Who the hell cares? What good will THAT do? Get some good minds and GET THE LEAK STOPPED. Period. Obama has been a horrible president so far (in my own opinion, obviously) and I mourn daily that americans were so taken by a pretty face they ignored HRC. Obama cares about his political hide, he carries about his political contributions — and he has more from oil than anyone else. He simply has no interest in the environment — he cares about remaking our country into what HE envisions it and what he wants it to be. I just don’t think the env ironment is on his radar screen.
Then he sends Gibbs out, and Gibbs says one thing, while someone else says another. And now I find out reporters have been called in like they misbehaved in class? OK, can you IMAGINE what would have happened had that been Bush? This guy is awful!
I agree with you.
We aren’t supposed to mention that there was a better choice, but we can’t escape the recurring memory.
its 3am and the gulf coast is going to hell. someone pick up the phone before the next hurricane plows into the gulf.
check out nbc nightly news- im serious hell is breaking lose. very bad. the gov of la is taking control and ignoring federal approval for crap. good for jindal. time to lead. jindal is shouting at the feds to allow him to do more to save his state. nada so far from dc. officials in la are screaming at obama begging him to tae control. i mean screaming.
and this thad allen at coast guard – he keeps deferring to bp and defended the on mtp. bull. salazar looks like a fool- he says if bp shows signs of failing the task! wtf! and u bet the feckless gop is suddenly in favor of big bad govt urging the govt to jump in and hurry! palin, who told us this is a price we must pay for being “independant” etc.. now she is saying obama is in the pocket of big oil and wont act bc big oil will be ad. sick
america is failing. no protests in the streets. where is everyone? the president? congress? is america simply lost?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-daou/the-great-shame-americas_b_586377.html
I just went over there, t4h. He says “This isn’t Katrina II. It’s worse.” Oh, yes, it’s worse.
OBot here,
This same debate is raging over at DKos, Why doesn’t the Govt. take over? Why isn’t Obama on Air Force One Why is BP still in charge? We need to fire Ken Salazar! Shut down all offshore drilling ops. etc. and so on.
There can be one, and only one priority…plug the leak. Everything else is secondary, from commission complaints to placing blame. BP (and other oil companies) are the only ones with the equipment and real-world knowledge to fix the gusher. That’s right, the same people responsible are the only ones with the capabilities to fix it (unfortunate fact).
The leak is approx. 1 mile underwater. At these depths, the pressure is so great that there is only a handful of submersibles in the world that are even capable of diving to such depths much less perform complicated robotic procedures…demanding the Govt. to take control of what only a small handful of people in the world even understand is a knee-jerk foolhardy emotional response to a situation that requires top-level scientific calculations….so unless you have a PhD or experience related to Oil and PetroChemical disaster, you’re just fumbling about in the dark like everyone else.
Oh, and using Rush speak like “Obama’s Katrina” to assuage your panic is completely disingenuous and smacks of agenda over solution, I’m sure there will be plenty of time to point fingers after the well is capped. This is unprecedented, and there is no Jack Bauer to save the day in 60 minutes.
i agree the situation is unprecedented. what i dont get is why our govt has refused to act on offers made by the saudis for instance who have developed an d used oil spill resolution. maybe we cant cut the oil from spilling otday but we could use those 2 saudi tankers which pump up the oil and water, seperate it and pumps it into tanks ashore. they used this in the persian gulf spill with huge sucess. at least its something. there are other technologies that aborb and eat oil which can be used. and i dont mean those dispersants we see . we are a superpower. our natl gulf economy is at stake- surely there is more minds that can be used, more soldiers that can be brought in to build barriers in LA etc..
i keep hearing our govt say bp will pay for the cleanup- um ok and? u cant replace what is being destroyed here. no way. palin is doing something smart- hitting obama for being too corporate to do anything to stop the crisis. obama better figure out something- it is why we hired him right?
Right!!
All good questions, I can’t remember where I read it but I believe the tanker idea is a bust because of the water pressure at that depth makes it near impossible to suction (like the weight is increased exponentially the farther you go down). I can’t confirm or deny this as I do not have a link.
As far as dispersants go, I don’t know if such a thing exists as a non-toxic version. I suppose using a less toxic version is the obvious choice, but if it damages the ecosystem all the same with less effectiveness, then what? No good option there at all IMO.
As far as BP paying up and possible disbarment, there are a couple excellent diaries up on this a DKos:
by DWG http://tinyurl.com/28l8tgk
by gchaucer2 http://tinyurl.com/2594zzg
Looks to be a legal nightmare, but costs are a secondary consideration for me at this point.
As far as Sarah ‘drill,baby,drill’ Palin goes, I just don’t care what she has to say on this matter, her outbursts are beginning to drop from headlines to subarticles and people are finally getting bored with her antics. It’s way too early to know what effect this will have on the Obama administration, and at this point I don’t care about the politics of it all as long as everything feasable is being done to plug the leak.
Side note: I can’t take seriously anyone claiming that BP wants this to continue or that the government is ignoring the magnitude of this disaster due to corporate coziness or indifference. That tripe can be moved to the conspiracy theory category, because there is no upside whatsoever to let this disaster continue one moment longer than humanly possible for ANY party involved.
yeah. disbarement seems the way to go. i just dont see how obama can hold out much longer here and not seize control of the damned thing. i know why he is not wild about doing such actions but what choice does potus have anymore? the jig is up.
Pres. Obama is in charge. Period.
If he was a Republican we’d be rightly ripping him. Because he isn’t shouldn’t give him cover when his response has been to show incompetence at managing this crisis.
I’ve also talked to quite a few high level people who are in the oil business, so my frustration and emotional outrage at a Democrat screwing up so badly gives me no pleasure.
Again, any contorted charge on political motives is pathetic and it would help if people would grow up, as the only agenda people have who love the Gulf Coast region, but also the wetlands and other areas endangered, is that the duel fecklessness of Obama and BP stop and that this catastrophe begin to be solved.
When the White House drags the press in to complain about too many questions it’s not only blaming the messenger for doing their job, but juvenile.
In the briefing today Thad Allen will be present, so questions will be answered. But this is 30 days and counting into it.
Epic fail by the Obama administration and Pres. Obama. Anyone trying to offer him cover should be embarrassed, but I don’t expect the partisan hackery to dissipate any time soon.
headline: LA Fisherman Contemplate Suicide”
http://www.neworleans.com/news/local-news/399556.html
I don’t think anything can get our party and our president off their collective posteriors. They seem to be completely in the camp of corporate interests, be it oil, banking, or the for profit charter schools. Obama’s cluelessness on education, his deference to the moneyed class, his naieve “bi-partisanship”–on & on. I am totally pessimistic about where he is taking the country. Being able to say “I told you so” is little comfort.
We are supposed to be a country of many ideas. We are supposed to have the best trained people and the best technology to fix problems like these. But I was wrong big time !! This country is not prepared as much as I thought it was.
As far as Sarah Palin, she was the chairperson of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and was governor of the oil rich state of Alaska, so maybe she had the right to say something about this. And I guess enough people did care about that Sarah Palin had to say because Robert Gibbs had to respond on what Sarah Palin had said about Obama had corportate interests.
what palin hit on is something that if the gop follows would be a terrifying meme for wh- hey you are in the pocket of big oil and dont give a damned! i doubt the gop will follow palin on this and hell palin 2 weeks ago almost praised the leak saying like valdez it is soemthing we must endure to pump our own oil! paging al gore- speak out and u could save the coast. paging rfk jr. help!
This is just the latest of the incompetencies of the Obama administration. This IS the Katrina of his administration.
Remember when Hillary questioned Obama’s readiness to answer
the “3 o’clock call”? Well this is it, baby! And he ain’t answering.
I’ve got one thing to say about this administration: Lame Duck.
Taylor,
You studied Obama back in ’08 so this should be no suprise to you. Obama has never had much of a work ethic much like Bush his entire life. he even said that he doesn’t believe in leadership. He believes in sloughing off everything to someone else to do the work. This is what happens when you get an unqualified and inexperienced person in the job of President–they can’t handle emergencies nor can they tell teh difference between bad intel and good. Whatever. That being said SOMEBODY needs to get off their posteior and get to work!!!!
Well, I don’t agree with the “sloughing off” label, but I will say that his leadership *style* is cool, detached and uninvolved, because he doesn’t want to get blamed for any problems, let alone failings.
Leaders take a stand, jump in when it’s required and take the hits where they come like men or women. Harry Truman was considered a bad president until history weighed in. But he was able to make a deadly decision, let the chips fall where they may, on him, because The Buck Stopped with HIM. Like him or hate him, that’s leadership.
Actually I see the sloughing off as part of the lack of leadership. He has handed everything off to somebody else to do whether it’s the health bill or the stimulus.
The comparison that always comes to my mind, re Obama, is FDRoosevelt.
Now there was leadership in tough times.