Photo: WikipediaAlmost five weeks into the BP oil disaster and we’re way down the rabbit hole. None other than Sarah “Drill, baby, drill” Palin wondered aloud on Fox News Sunday whether oil company contributions to the Obama campaign are to blame for the president “taking so doggone long to get in there, dive in there, and grasp the complexity and the potential tragedy that we are seeing here in the Gulf of Mexico.” (Obama has definitely enjoyed BP cash.) This whole Gulf mess just makes her long for — wait for it – more on-shore drilling. Like in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve in Alaska!
When no means “make me”
Last Thursday, the EPA gave BP 72 hours to quit using that nasty oil dispersant Corexit 9500 in favor of other less toxic chemicals. Last weekend, BP said no can do. To which the EPA replied: um, well, we really need to talk.
I was kidding!
Remember Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s (R) big rail against the big government excesses in his official Republican Party response to Obama’s first State of the Union address? Yeah, well, that was 18 months ago. Now, Jindal is irate that the same big government isn’t moving fast enough to stop the brown gunk hitting the Louisiana coast.
Ouch
James Carville, Louisiana native and usually loyal Democratic consultant, blasted the “lackadaisical” response from the Obama White House.
I think they actually believe that BP has some kind of a good motivation here. They’re naive! BP is trying to save money, save everything they can … Somebody has got to, like, shake them and say, ‘These people don’t wish you well! They’re going to take you down!’
Seemed like a good idea at the time
Conservation groups, such as The Nature Conservancy and Conservation International, are taking heat for their partnerships with BP. In response to questions from Conservancy supporters, Nature Conservancy chief exec Mark Tercek posted this on his org’s website:
Anyone serious about doing conservation in this region must engage these companies, so they are not just part of the problem but so they can be part of the effort to restore this incredible ecosystem.
See Joe Stephens’ Washington Post story.
A White House divided
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar vents about BP missing “deadline after deadline” with its proposed fixes; White House press secretary Robert Gibbs bemoans the oil giant’s “lack of transparency.” But Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen says that only BP can stop the leak. Ultimately, said Allen, “I trust (BP CEO) Tony Hayward.” But should he? Oyl!
