Oil Spill actions, how would you rate them?

[ModCon]

We are now into 2 weeks with oil flowing freely off the coast of our country. BP is clueless as to how to stop it.

How would you rate Obama's actions in dealing with this problem?

If this was Bush, I believe people would have been hysterically calling him Incompetent. (like much of his presidency.)

If I could draw a political cartoon, I would put Obama playing the violin on the coast as oil creeps up on shore.

OBama fiddles while the coast is ruined.

I may be to hard on him, he did send in federal SWAT teams, and are busy questioning anybody and everybody, to find out who to blame, all the while BP is wringing their hands.

 

[Grizzly]

It's certainly possible that if this had happened during the Bush presidency, I would have been pitching a fit. Bush's close ties to the oil industry, plus his penchant for putting industry insiders at the head of many government regulation agencies might have had me marching in the streets demanding his head.

Right now, we are reaping what we have sowed. For example, offshore drilling in Norway and Sweden is regulated by the government in such a way that the automatic shut-off valves that can be controlled remotely are mandatory. Here in the US, they are only "encouraged". This is what happens when you get into bed with corporations.

But back to your original point. You are indeed most likely correct that liberals are guilty of a double standard between Obama and Bush in regards to this catastrophe.

 

[Staccato]

I'd say poor. Obama needs to stop dancing around BP, waiting in vain for them to clear up their own mess, and actually get this disasterous situation solved. The reprecussions are going to be massive as it currently stands, and every day just makes the situation worse, for the fishermen, for the wildlife, for the residents. The grace period for BP to sort this out has long since passed.

However, I am fully aware that, had Obama come in and forced BP into sorting this mess out fast or else, people would have been accusing him of interfering in the affairs of private business or being a dictator who was trying to strong-arm the free market or whatever buzzphrases are in use these days. So he could never win in the eyes of some, no matter what he did.

 

[Douger]

I say the reaction is pretty poor. Not that it's Obama's fault, it's BP's fault, but with the gulf ecosystems being destroyed this should be having every resource available being thrown at it.
Send in the coast guard and navy now, sue the pants of BP later.

 

[DaisyDay]

I've heard that the government does not have the latest and greatest technology and resources at hand to deal with the oil leak, unlike private industry.

There should have been more preparation and disaster planning - who to hire if/when this happened, rather than rely on BP's assurances that it would be able to take care of such an event.

 

[mpok1519]

Poor reaction, but since this is all in the hands of corporations, and Obama hasn't really had time to focus on"green" legislation, it's really At the fault of corporate "control". The companes never fathomed this could happen, nor did they implement any contingencies acknowledging a disaster like this could actually happen. Obama can't control how Bp builds their rigs. Nor can he dictate the incredibly stupid ideas thyre coming up with to shut it down. The junk shot? That's the name of an incredibly desperate cage fight move when you're about to lose...

 

[Wirraway]

obambi is total failure. about what I expected.

 

[KarateCowboy]

Poor reaction, but since this is all in the hands of corporations, and Obama hasn't really had time to focus on"green" legislation, it's really At the fault of corporate "control". The companes never fathomed this could happen, nor did they implement any contingencies acknowledging a disaster like this could actually happen. Obama can't control how Bp builds their rigs. Nor can he dictate the incredibly stupid ideas thyre coming up with to shut it down. The junk shot? That's the name of an incredibly desperate cage fight move when you're about to lose...

I heard on the news there was a spat between BP management and oil rig management about proper safety precautions before the explosion occurred. I don't think BP actually owns the rig.

Actually, that is the case: the rig is owned by a company called Transocean.

 

[Saving Hawaii]

I say the reaction is pretty poor. Not that it's Obama's fault, it's BP's fault, but with the gulf ecosystems being destroyed this should be having every resource available being thrown at it. Send in the coast guard and navy now, sue the pants of BP later.

You're aware that the Coast Guard has been running this show since Day 1, right? Rear Admiral Landry took command of the scene on April 21st, and the administration appointed USCG Commandant Thad Allen as the Incident Commander on May 1st as the scale of the incident response continued to grow. As we speak more than 22,000 personnel are deployed to this incident as well as 1150 vessels, dozens of aircraft, ROVs, and multiple drilling rigs.

The response to this accident has been as strong as you could hope for, but I didn't rate this as "Great, could not be better" for an obvious reason. Part of a good response is good pre-planning. That was done well for the most part, but there was a major and excruciating detail that wasn't there. We didn't have a good contingency plan in place for how to quickly stop a massive leak at this depth. BP's attempts to place a cap over the leak have failed because those devices weren't designed to operate at the depth this spill is taking place at. It seems that our best plan at this point is to drill a relief well, and while that should work it certainly can't be done quickly.

I'm going to give the federal government good marks on its response since the start of this incident, but it's preparation left something wanted. BP drilled this well without adequate preparations to quickly stop a spill in the event of a catastrophic failure, and we're paying the devil for that mistake. BP should have had those contingency plans in place, and the federal government should have made sure that was the case. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

The Coast Guard gets extra props for being remarkably resourceful and innovative in their response to this. Within just a couple days of the spill, somebody brainstorming options for them had gotten in contact with the agency I used to work for. They wanted to know about the possibility of using some specialized equipment in a pretty novel way and that equipment's capabilities. I'm not aware if anything came out of that, but you could tell that they were trying to look at every possible option they had.

 

[ModCon]

I'd say poor. Obama needs to stop dancing around BP, waiting in vain for them to clear up their own mess, and actually get this disasterous situation solved. The reprecussions are going to be massive as it currently stands, and every day just makes the situation worse, for the fishermen, for the wildlife, for the residents. The grace period for BP to sort this out has long since passed.

However, I am fully aware that, had Obama come in and forced BP into sorting this mess out fast or else, people would have been accusing him of interfering in the affairs of private business or being a dictator who was trying to strong-arm the free market or whatever buzzphrases are in use these days. So he could never win in the eyes of some, no matter what he did.

I agree. This was not Obama's fault in the begining. Now 2 weeks into the leak(not a spill), we still do not have the oil stopped. Planning failed, contengency plans were not used or were not available. Like 911 on Bush, this Administration must take responsibility and stop the leak, and fix the problems, of no plan, and of corrupt goverment officials.

Of course, no one on the left will admit this problem. When goverment controls something, someone corrupt will embed themselves and bilk the system. ie:Note a problem, recieve a little green under the table, and minimize the problem in the report, and pass the certification.
This problem does not stop at the inspector level, it continues all the way up to Congress, and probably the President.(chanted during Bush years, out of the question for Obama's) Goverment is corrupt, it will always be corrupt, that is why you keep goverment small, so the people can trim the corruption when it gets to bad. Rather than allowing goverment to take over more of everyones lives.
Question? If liberals put Capitalism in place of Goverment in the previous statement, would that be their feelings?

Actually, the balance of both must be maintained.

 

[Voegelin]

Going to Billionaire's Row in San Francisco last night for three funding raising parties, including one at the home of Gordon Getty, was a good move on Obama's part. That will inspire everyone on shore to work harder cleaning up the gunk that washed ashore while Obama scarfed down more Wagyu beef (I assume that was on the menu, it seems to be his favorite).

 

[Greatcloud]

Just what is Obama doing to protect the fishing and tourism industry. Just what is he doing period besides going to dinner. Does anybody know ?

 

[DaisyDay]

I agree. This was not Obama's fault in the begining. Now 2 weeks into the leak(not a spill), we still do not have the oil stopped. Planning failed, contengency plans were not used or were not available. Like 911 on Bush, this Administration must take responsibility and stop the leak, and fix the problems, of no plan, and of corrupt goverment officials.

Of course, no one on the left will admit this problem. When goverment controls something, someone corrupt will embed themselves and bilk the system. ie:Note a problem, recieve a little green under the table, and minimize the problem in the report, and pass the certification.
This problem does not stop at the inspector level, it continues all the way up to Congress, and probably the President.(chanted during Bush years, out of the question for Obama's) Goverment is corrupt, it will always be corrupt, that is why you keep goverment small, so the people can trim the corruption when it gets to bad. Rather than allowing goverment to take over more of everyones lives.
Question? If liberals put Capitalism in place of Goverment in the previous statement, would that be their feelings?

Actually, the balance of both must be maintained.

The booms, the cap and the dispersants aren't part of the contingency plans?

 

[trunks2k]

I agree. This was not Obama's fault in the begining. Now 2 weeks into the leak(not a spill), we still do not have the oil stopped. Planning failed, contengency plans were not used or were not available. Like 911 on Bush, this Administration must take responsibility and stop the leak, and fix the problems, of no plan, and of corrupt goverment officials.

But the question is - what could the federal government reasonably be doing that's any better than what BP is doing? The federal government isn't equipped for this type of situation. BP, like it or not, has better resources and infrastructure in place to deal with it. They're the ones with the equipment and experts on drilling. In this case, given the motivation BP has to fix the problem, I think BP actually has the best chance of getting the leak stopped. I'm just not seeing exactly what advantage there is in letting the federal government step in to handle fixing the leak.

I'll agree that the gov't needs to fix the problems that led up to this being able to happen in the first place. However, right now we have to focus on fixing the leak.

 

[SOAD]

Going to Billionaire's Row in San Francisco last night for three funding raising parties, including one at the home of Gordon Getty, was a good move on Obama's part. That will inspire everyone on shore to work harder cleaning up the gunk that washed ashore while Obama scarfed down more Wagyu beef (I assume that was on the menu, it seems to be his favorite).

What would you have him do? Go find the nearest desolate patch of dusty and dry land, strip naked and weep as he is heaping dirt upon his head?

Perhaps he could do an aerial flyover? Go fishing? Go shopping for shoes?

What was Bush doing while thousands of soldiers were dying due to a war Bush and his cronies started? Honestly, your negativity towards democrats and liberals is counterproductive and tiring. Why must you play this game? Shouldn't you be doing something more productive like converting your assets to liquid and growing a depression garden?

 

[SOAD]

Just what is Obama doing to protect the fishing and tourism industry. Just what is he doing period besides going to dinner. Does anybody know ?

Big government to the rescue, is that what you're saying? Your remark conflicts with your political status. Please, tell us what you believe he should do?


Personally, this is BP's mess and they need to fix it. The oil companies reap the rewards with Earth's resources, and they should be responsible to fix and clean up any mess they make. One day, republicans say government should stay out of private buisness affairs, then blame the government when they do. I wish you all would stop talking out both sides of your (collective) mouths.

 

[BotanicalBob]

Right now, we are reaping what we have sowed. For example, offshore drilling in Norway and Sweden is regulated by the government in such a way that the automatic shut-off valves that can be controlled remotely are mandatory. Here in the US, they are only "encouraged". This is what happens when you get into bed with corporations.

I agree with the point about regulations, but IIRC, this rig did have that, but it was also damage in the explosion.

 

[BotanicalBob]

The first days of when this started, we should have sent down either a small nuke, or perhaps a moab or other specialty bomb designed to move earth/bust bunkers.

 

[BotanicalBob]

Big government to the rescue, is that what you're saying? Your remark conflicts with your political status. Please, tell us what you believe he should do?

This is a national security issue that has every potential of destroying vast swaths of the Gulf. They should have been working hand in hand with BP since day one.

Personally, this is BP's mess and they need to fix it.

Apparently, they're not equipped to handle this mess to our satisfaction. The government should handle this, and just have BP foot the bill.

The oil companies reap the rewards with Earth's resources, and they should be responsible to fix and clean up any mess they make.

Every time you get into a vehicle with a combustible engine, you're also reaping the rewards.

One day, republicans say government should stay out of private buisness affairs, then blame the government when they do. I wish you all would stop talking out both sides of your (collective) mouths.

And you guys are talking about how big government should do everything for everyone. But when time comes for them to actually get their hands dirty and do something that only government resources can accomplish, you say we should just let BP handle it.

Glass houses.

 

[SOAD]

This is a national security issue that has every potential of destroying vast swaths of the Gulf. They should have been working hand in hand with BP since day one.

Why? Those involved in the oil rig operations are the experts.

Apparently, they're not equipped to handle this mess to our satisfaction. The government should handle this, and just have BP foot the bill.

Who in the government is the expert in this field? The government would just subcontract the very same people who are the experts trying to fix it now.

Every time you get into a vehicle with a combustible engine, you're also reaping the rewards.

This is twisted logic. My reward is getting from point A to point B. Their reward is making money off of the oil. They are not doing it for me. They are doing it to make money. If there was no money in oil they would not be in the business.

And you guys are talking about how big government should do everything for everyone. But when time comes for them to actually get their hands dirty and do something that only government resources can accomplish, you say we should just let BP handle it.

Glass houses.

Are you a republican? I have never said that government should do everything for everybody. This is a case of BP capitalizing the rewards and socializing the problems. BP caused the problem and should have the expertise to fix the problem. If not, they have no business drilling in the ocean. Cant you see this? If big government has to come in and fix this problem, then why can't big government just come in and take over oil altogether? Is that what you wold like? After all, these resourses belong to everybody on the planet. Your defense of BP has been noted.