They’ve been caught lying about how much oil is coming out of the well. They’ve been lying about how much oil they’re cleaning up. The situation is clearly out of control.
It’s not just me asking. James Carville is asking as well, saying, “we’re dying down here!”
This may be turning into a Katrina moment for Obama.
On the upside, although the Republicans and conservative Democrats have successfully blocked two attempts to up the liability cap, BP could be facing stiff fines not subject to the cap. $4,300 per barrel to be precise, which currently would bring the fines well over 10 billion.
Addendum: This Kos poster provides a little defense for Obama. Point is, he should be shoving BP aside right now.
17 comments
Comments feed for this article
May 26, 2010 at 6:46 am
Tapperass
I think the Petroleum Lobby is just that strong. Somebody has convinced the right people that BP can still get it done.
I would hate to think that any or all of the agencies looking into this are afraid to take it on directly.
May 26, 2010 at 7:23 am
Fred Mangels
I don’t understand how you think some government bureaucrat or agency is going to fix this any quicker than BP can? At least BP has people with experience in the drilling business working on it.
I’m not downplaying the severity of this. I’m just saying this is an extremely difficult problem to solve and I don’t have the blind faith some seem to have in government that assumes government can just step in a fix it right away.
May 26, 2010 at 7:46 am
Eric Kirk
Yeah, they’re doing a bang up job so far Fred.
Sorry, but I think they’re a little distracted trying to minimize the impact on their own company. And I don’t think anybody really knows how to deal with this. At least get the foxes out of the hen house and start fresh. Bring in other companies maybe, who don’t have a conflict of interest.
May 26, 2010 at 8:00 am
Mitch
This is a novel feeling for me, but… Fred is right.
The bigger question here is how did a democratic government allow private companies to engage in behaviors capable of destroying large parts of its coastline and coastal waters, without having required the companies to prove in advance that they were able to handle worst-case scenarios.
The answer is: the same way a democratic government allowed private companies to engage in behaviors capable of destroying its capital markets.
The bigger question is: given our current media technology and legal concentration of wealth and power, can democracy function in a way that benefits the majority of people?
May 26, 2010 at 8:02 am
Anonymous
obamas’ katrina moment was about 2 weeks ago. he has screwed up. just another oil and gas man in the white house. he has followed gw in so many foot steps, why not this one.
May 26, 2010 at 8:17 am
Jim Buoy
Of course. Obama should have deployed all the resources of the Navy Dept of Oceanic Bunghole Plugging a month ago. As everyone who is anyone knows, it consists of two, Al Gore designed, top secret solar powered fissure repair subs. The first, USS Morey Eel, is armed with 12 expandable corks. It maneuvers one of them over the offending hole and then dilates it to the holes exact measurement through a unique hydrolic system that combines seawater with vast amounts of old, chopped up US currency and worthless Goldman Sachs derivatives. Then, it’s sister sub, the USS Hammerhead, swoops in and does what it’s name implies. Voila! All problems solved.
Don’t put it off till tomorrow, Impeach Obama today!
May 26, 2010 at 8:38 am
Fred Mangels
…I think they’re a little distracted trying to minimize the impact on their own company.
I have a hard time believing the actual ones trying to shut the well down are distracted by whatever impact this will have on their company. Maybe management is, but the people doing the actual work are doing their best to shut it down.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem there was much thought given in advance as to how to deal with this if it did happen.
May 26, 2010 at 8:51 am
Dave Kirby
Before anyone gets too hysterical, including Carville, there’s one fact that should be considered. The government does not have the equipment nor the expertise to do anything that is not already being done. The best the government can do is make sure B.P. does not weasel out of this mess without paying the total cost of the disaster. Comparing this with Katrina is pure political nonsense. In Katrina the levies that broke were the governments responsibility. The fact that FEMA fiddled as hundreds died and the absence of any coherent plan to anticipate and deal with the approaching hurricane were criminal. Many of the critics of the administrations handling of the spill were the same folks who were crying drill baby drill. And then you have clueless ding bats like Rand Paul telling us that criticizing B.P. is unamerican.
May 26, 2010 at 8:58 am
Dave Kirby
You don’t suppose the Dick Cheney’s being in Haliburton’s pocket had anything to do with lax inspection procedures and weak regulation enforcement do you? Guess I’m just getting cynical in my old age.
May 26, 2010 at 11:27 am
Cynthia
have to say I’m in agreement with Dave Kirby on this one. The govt. just does not have the resources necessary to get this done.
I can see the attractiveness of “getting the fox out of the hen house” but how much time do you think it would take to get them up to speed?
I did hear on the news this a.m. (BBC I think) that BP has in fact been consulting with several other companies on methods, techniques, and equipment, for solving this horrible disaster.
May 26, 2010 at 11:40 am
Fred Mangels
Too bad there isn’t a deep sea equivalent of Red Adair (the oil fire fighting guy, for those of you in Arcata) to take care of this. Maybe one will arise after this finally gets plugged.
May 26, 2010 at 12:44 pm
Eric Kirk
Poll shows that the public is turning on Obama over the spill, though they still blame BP primarily.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_pl2270
Odd note in the article – Palin apparently criticized Obama over a campaign donation from BP. Hmmmm.
May 26, 2010 at 1:18 pm
Mitch
Eric,
The public will turn on Obama worse if he “takes charge” of the spill without the government being able to improve on BP’s efforts.
If Obama takes this off BP’s hands, I hope it’s only when he knows that the leak is within two days of being resolved.
If this doesn’t kill offshore drilling AND non-governmental nuclear power, nothing will. But it won’t. Our electorate’s memory is about two weeks long.
May 26, 2010 at 2:04 pm
Fred Mangels
If Obama takes this off BP’s hands, I hope it’s only when he knows that the leak is within two days of being resolved.
I was thinking earlier today that might be exactly what he’ll do.
May 26, 2010 at 2:50 pm
Anonymous
Someone from CIA-wannabe Marcos’s site makes lame excuses for Obama. What a shocker.
May 26, 2010 at 4:11 pm
Joel Mielke
“I was thinking … that might be exactly what he’ll do.”
Snort.
May 27, 2010 at 6:48 am
Joel Mielke
Fred’s previous comment:
“I have a hard time believing…Maybe…it doesn’t seem there was much thought…”
Too funny.