Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Crying over spilled oil
36 days into BP’s Gulf of Mexico spill, fingers are being pointed left and right


GULF OF MEXICO—Florida Governor Charlie Crist declared a state of emergency weeks ago and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal just completed a tour of Plaquemines Parish with its president, Billy Nungesser. Yet that is about the extent of help BP seems to be getting from politicians. Mr. Jindal has been steadily criticizing the Obama administration for not acting to curb the Gulf oil spill that is threatening Louisiana’s shores.

The public has been clamoring for action, but the so-called fixes have done nothing to stop the spill. What is most curious is the fact the Obama administration’s handling of the disaster which is to say, its non-handling.

I think myself to be a bit correct in my earlier assertion that the administration doesn’t want its fingerprints on this and is perhaps leveraging a political “we told you so” against future drilling. On May 4th, I wrote, “…it would seem quite plausible the Obama administration’s delayed response and laissez faire approach may be another calculated strategy to allow the federal government a path into the oil industry…”

This point I maintain as it now seems more likely. However what many fail to understand (myself included) is the political fallout that’s already beginning. The longer the Obama administration waits to take over, the more damage it will do to the president.


-- Owen E. Richason IV
Chief Editor, Killswitch Politick

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