I think much of the frustration expressed toward President Obama on this site...

Is NOT due to the fact that he cannot stop the spill.

Rather, I think it is due to the facts that:

1) He is not providing regular updates from his own lips.

2) He is not calling for a moratorium on all future offshore drilling until the true safety of these wells can be determined.

3) He is not reassuring us in this time of trouble.

I hardly think that anyone is suggesting that he put on his cape and fly to the bottom of the ocean to fix this.

That's what I see people complaining about here

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I hardly think that anyone is suggesting that he put on his cape and fly to the bottom of the ocean to fix this.

The point is peoples actions create the situations, so for someone to put the cape on and solve the problem doesn't really add up, everyone must put the cape on and solve the problem what ever way they can in their own thoughts and lives.

I think that is the concept of 'you must do this'

And the flaw of thinking some people are special and can do more then other people, or should be more then other people. Everyone has something they can do, maybe it depends what they put that effort into.

the same ones who kvetched that he did not do enough in Haiti fast enough

the same ones who said he did not do enough for Americans stranded in Europe from the volcano.

It's whatever is happening in the news this week. THAT is something Obama did not do enough on.

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...while I am critical of Obama's response to this catastrophe, I most definitely do not fit into your stereotype:

"the same ones who kvetched that he did not do enough in Haiti fast enough

the same ones who said he did not do enough for Americans stranded in Europe from the volcano."

Nope. Not this kid. Please feel free to search my posts if you don't believe me.

Here's the thing: if you disagree with someone, try refuting what they say, rather than making stuff up about their motivation.

... yes straw can be used rather effectively to trap crude oil out of the water.

Cheers.

Links
Proof

it would be reassuring.

But this administration has been sort of tone deaf on these matters since they came in. I'll never forget when they asked for input on policy issues and the issue that got the most support was legalizing pot. Obama made fun of it during the actual conference. That kind of thing.

That says it all.

People have always been that way and they will always be that way. I have to work with them when they are available. That's life.

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That is exactly the social-atomist attitude that permeates our society I don't like. We're all in this together.

Because people have other priorites, so get used to it."

its' only used for flying in the the air. For under water heroics he uses his ultra waterproof spandex superhero tights.

That's ridiculous.

There is a site that provides up-to-date information. The idea that the President is going to hold a daily press conference is ludicrous.

2) He is not calling for a moratorium on all future offshore drilling until the true safety of these wells can be determined.

There is a moratorium.

3) He is not reassuring us in this time of trouble.

That's true for some people from the President's first day. They made this claim throughout the health care debate.

But it is really not "ridiculous" to expect the President of the United States to provide regular and verbal updates (along with questions and answers) for a disaster of this magnitude. I personally do not feel that a website cuts it.

Watch the press gaggle.

It's ridiculous to expect the president of the United States to speak about this on a daily basis. Human lives are not in direct threat.

Should a hurricane or tropical storm threaten the area, there will be regular verbal updates probably from the president or Secretary Napolitano.

and the livelihoods of about a half million people are directly impacted, not to mention the ecosystem of the entire region.

This is more than a little oopsie.

If you really do care, there are lots of updates given daily on the interwebs and in the news.

There is a moratorium, and you are a grown up now and should be self soothing.

that I am a grown up?

And besides, go tell that to a LA fisherman that does not have a computer and smells the stink of the oil 24/7.

Some people seem to forget that not everyone has access to the internet.

you're going to be very busy.

It just makes your feelings fuzzy.

weekly address

Let's see how many of people will find comfort in the President's words. He will continue to address the issue as he deems necessary.

I wonder how many of the men and women in LA who depend on the fishing industry saw his address.

I wonder how many of the people along the Gulf Coast feel better now that he made an address that no one saw.

and you're aren't interested enough to seek out his known to almost everyone weekly address?

And I know of hardly anyone except for those who follow politics that listen to the weekly address.

Most fishermen don't spend time on the internet or glued to the radio, especially when they are shittin' it because they are worried about feeding their families.

No one listens to the weekly addresses, and the people who are directly affected certainly will not be listening, but the President need to give more addresses.

Ludicrous.

He needs to at least create an impression of dire urgency that is recognized by the typical working person.

And yes, I read what I write.

The suicidal fishermen on the Gulf Coast are not going to listen to the weekly address but they'd probably appreciate special updates about their situation.

"The suicidal fishermen on the Gulf Coast are not going to listen to the weekly address but they'd probably appreciate special updates about their situation."

Somethings should not be used to illustrate cynicism. These fishermen need direct, in-person attention, not Presidential updates.

You know what I mean...I don't mean addresses per se, but rather, press conferences.

He blocked me.

there is not a thing I can do about it. Sniff. :D

he is on tv too much. Asshole chip reid only wants him on tv so that he can ask him a gotcha question.By the way the police did act stupidly.

He can send someone else out to do updates. If he went out everyday we would hear..He needs to work on jobs,immigration,wall street reform,Don't ask don't tell,etc...

If I remember correctly, wells that were already approved but not investigated will be allowed to go ahead without first investigating. And then you look at the map of wells already there and wonder how in the world the hurricanes haven't hit them before now.

if even one of the points in the O/P was in fact true.

of everything that goes on in their company. By the same token, we cannot expect the President to be a miracle worker for every thing that goes wrong.

However, it is the responsibility of the person at the top to lead, direct and inform.

... send the Coast Guard with the Army Corps of Engineers, along with the Navy, to stuff a few megatons worth of explosive down that hole and seal it forever.

As is state of the art global practice for decades in these types of oil and natural gas disasters.

It seems like they are trying to ignore it to avoid being associated with it too much.

That is how it LOOKS anyway.

and if that is how someone perceives it, then that is how someone perceives it.

n/t

What he isn't doing:

1. Telling BP they've had their shot at this and failed. And that they pick need to get out of the way. (That would include the embedded reporter thing that appears to have jumped across the ocean to become the new norm within our borders)
2. Get the experts he has already contacted and put them in charge.
3. Freeze enough of BP's assets to cover projected costs of stopping the gusher and cleaning up the shoreline as much as possible.

"The President isn't giving me virtual hugs and saying sweet nothings in my ear."

:eyes:


You're a big boy/girl. Giving you "reassurances" and "regular updates" won't make the gusher stop any sooner.


Buy a teddy bear or a security blanket. Hug your kids. Pet your dog.


Quit being dependent on the President to calm your insecurities.

Can you see your brain and sinuses when you roll your eyes like that?

He agrees with you.

:rofl:

They're looking for more opportunities to ridicule his comments.

insisting...asking?

You can't even defend your argument.

Edited to say: Most people here will be angry until Obama announces a permanent end to all drilling. Number 1 is something a spokesman can do; Number 3 is ridiculous- why give false reassurances when nobody knows how the leak will be fixed?

And a reassurance can be simply a calming presence.

He should send many spokesmen to the Gulf, however.

The response to the catastrophe has been privatized, and many here want to see a federalized operation.

That is a legitimate point of view, and if we do not express our views - for fear of being attacked for being disloyal - there is no hope of any social and political change.

The corporations are not refraining from bringing pressure on the administration. The public must too, it is our duty and responsibility to speak out, or there is no point in having a representative government.

If they (the feds) have an actual solution that will work, and BP refuses to do it, then it is time to federalize the disaster, take over the site, and get it done.

However, if as I suspect, no one has an actual solution that BP is refusing to implement, then taking over the site is a stupid move. The day the Feds take over, it becomes their oil spill and everyday it continues to gush a symbol of federal incompetence. If you can't fix it, then you do not want to own it.

Curiously, nearly all the people who know how to deal with problem oil wells, work for oil companies. I expect you can figure out why this is the case.

People here imagine that there are engineers who can do this, and if you hire a whole ton of them, good things will result. People here seem to think that federal force and a massive pile of money spent freely will fix this. This is not Katrina where mobilizing national forces to get people on busses and to shelters would have saved a thousand lives. The solution there was simple and the technology to pull it off readily available. More force would have helped.

In this case, more force is near useless. It takes a few dozen guys to attach a pipe and pump drillers mud and grout down the bore if the well is intact. The problem is that it is bent and crushed, and 5000 feet under water. This is the reason the dome was attempted, collection and diversion of flow is a normal practice when you cannot get a solid connection to the well casing.

If you can get a connection to the well, shutting it down is known technology, the problem is getting a sound connection to the casing that will handle the pressure. If the administration knew how to do this, they would already be doing this. There is nothing but political bonus points to be had from stepping in and quickly solving the problem, and little but political pain from taking over and failing to fix it.

If they knew how to fix it, they would already be there doing it, and boasting about the results.

Who is talking about "taking over the site?" Not I. The question is who directs and controls the response to the catastrophe? The government, for the protection of the public interest, or a private company for whatever purposes they think are important?

This obsession over "solutions" and who has one and who doesn't is just a distraction from the real issue - who is in charge and whose interests are being protected?

I utterly reject the argument that since "all the people who know how to deal with problem oil wells, work for oil companies" therefore the response to the catastrophe must remain privatized.

You say "If the administration knew how to do this, they would already be doing this." Why do you say that? Because there would be "political bonus points" and they then would be "boasting about the results." This is moral depravity - assessing this catastrophe in terms of partisan politics. If what you say is true, I can imagine no more telling condemnation and indictment of the administration's response.

Your post is a powerful and generalized argument for privatization in all things. We are asking for the response to be controlled and directed by the government so that the public welfare is protected. You are saying "hey let the private company run with it, they know what they are doing, and then once they screw it up the government can step in." Isn't that what has caused all of the problems we now face in the country? That is privatization - let the free market run the show with the government off on the side taking a hands off position.

This is Reaganism. Hell had Reagan did this people would have been screaming bloody murder about it.

The government did not know how to do many of these things, did not have the personnel or assets or skill:

- US Postal Service

- National Park system

- Land Grant colleges

- Public education

- The CCC

- The WPB

- The USRA

And on and on and on and on.

Your argument here could have been (and was, at the time) used to attempt to prevent or defeat all of these programs and projects, successfully run to protect the interests and welfare of the public.

First, I am an environmental scientist, and a civil servant. I actually believe in government solutions to the extent that I took my career from the private sector to government to help create them. Second, I have actually worked on a drill rig.

Having worked in government for a couple of decades, I can assure you that if they knew how to fix it and had the people and equipment to do it, it would already be done. This is not an argument in celebration of the private sector, it is a statement in regard to how technically difficult the situation actually is. There may well be no one who knows how to do this, under these specific circumstances.

The only way to actually protect the public interest, is to plug the well. There is not sufficient material or manpower to deal with an uncontrolled discharge this large if it continues. It is really simple thermodynamics, once the oil is loose in the water, entropy takes over and no amount of energy or effort will ever get it all back. I am sure that at some level, the supply of oil that could leak is finite, but it is apparently quite large. If as little as 10 percent of it is not recoverable, the remaining slick will still be massive.

There is no rocket science to running a drill rig. It is just big heavy equipment, massive motors and pumps, heavy steel pipe, cranes, and drill bits. The federal government does not drill wells. To the extent they need wells, they contract this out. They could and apparently have hired some experts.

Only one team can be working on this well at a time. A team is likely around 40 to 50 guys, tops. Again, if the feds have a solution, and BP does not act immediately to implement it, the feds should take over and do it themselves. I cannot imagine the incentive you suppose exists for delay. BP is likely losing at least 10s of millions of dollars a day in cleanup costs and damage compensation claims. If they knew how to fix it, they would have done it already too.

I have encountered plenty of problems attempting to cap and plug free flowing water wells on the surface of the ground running at vastly lower pressures. If you cannot manage to get some seal on the casing, then you cannot pump grout against the pressure. It is really just that simple. The point of the relief well is to drop the pressure so the casing can be filled with grout. There is no magic bullet.

We are hearing things about how the boom is improperly laid and about the toxicity of the dispersants and about how BP is not coming clean on what has happened. Those are pretty specific grievances that could be fixed but haven't been.

We would like to preserve our view that democrats are much better at governing and executing plans.

Ima gonna recommend this dang deal.

:toast:

When there was BP spin he should have come out and clarified the information.

He doesn't seem to be taking it very seriously, that's the basic problem.

I need neither. I'm right next to it so it's all I hear about, and I don't need reassurance. What's he going to say? "Don't you worry, we're doing everything we can!" when they're not doing shit rings a little hollow.

I wanted to see some solid action to prevent it from destroying things that can never be replaced, like the coastal marshes that are now utterly destroyed because BP didn't give a fuck and they're letting BP run the entire show.

hilarious watching the bots get the vapors though

As I would be if I were him.

If people perceive that there is a problem with communication, then there is an actual problem with communication. Period.

and BP appears more concerned with salvaging their 'image' and limiting their liability than finding a solution.

Thank you.

May 10, 2010
Obama's Moratorium on Offshore Drilling May be Good Politics but it's Bad Economics

By Bernard L. Weinstein*

Several months ago, to the dismay of some environmental groups, President Barack Obama proposed opening new areas to deep water drilling along the southern Atlantic coast, a portion of the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and some of the coast of Alaska. But in response to the recent oil spill in the Gulf, and pressure from some key Democratic senators who are up for reelection this year, he has now declared a moratorium on all new offshore drilling. The ban will remain in place until the administration completes a "thorough review" of the factors leading up to the platform explosion and the subsequent leakage of light crude oil from the bore hole. This review could take months.

While the moratorium on drilling may make for good politics, it constitutes bad economics. With the global economy growing again, and oil supplies tight, sizeable increases in the prices of crude, gasoline and diesel can be anticipated--especially as Americans hit the road during the summer months. Less domestic drilling and production will mean greater reliance on imports that, in turn, could reverse our recent progress in reducing the trade deficit. In addition, thousands of high-paying domestic jobs in the oil and gas industry will be put at risk, at least temporarily.

http://blogs.chron.com/barrelsandbtus/2010/05/obamas_moratorium_on_offshore_drilling_may_be_good_poli_1.html

I'm sorry for the confusion I caused. :)

#3 would be a waste of time and I'd call him out for it.

This is not about Obama's political fortunes or popularity. Yet so many are talking as though that were the case, as though the discussion about this catastrophe and the response to it were all about people being "for or against Obama." Even the president's speech about this is a campaign speech, not a string response from a leader, so obviously the partisan and politicized tone is being set right from the top. That is morally depraved.

People care about the unfolding catastrophe, and about the response to that catastrophe being left in private hands and private control.

I did say that he should offer a calming presence.

People are frightened, and their feelings should not be discounted. Additionally, there is a lot of misinformation starting to float around.

Now, I am not discounting your opinion here...don't discount mine.

Great post!

Thank you.


peace~

even Jesus would slip and fall on His ass.

:hide: **takes cover to hide from any stray lightning bolts that might come out of the sky**

There is information freely available to all who want it. Should they fail to seek it out then they can blame themselves.

to throw any and all fuckers in jail responsible for this.

That the waters should not be muddied any further now (pardon the pun) by putting the hammer down on BP. They need to concentrate on the oil. But when and if this gets under control, I would fully expect a huge stick to come down on them from this administration.

exxon...

Keep dreaming.

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Goldman Sachs calls the shots at the treasury in spite of the fucking disaster they created.

The banking industry didn't spiral into further collapse like the Great Depression, jobs are coming back, and we just passed major new regulations of the industry. Obviously that was an epic fail on Obama's part.

some pennies are beginning to trickle down. Have you taken a look at wages and benefits? Sure there are more jobs, often at 70% of former wages, zero benefits. Yea, for our side.

Meanwhile poverty rates go up, human services continue to be cut, infrastructure continues to crumble. But the stock market has taken at least 30% of everyone's a 401k that most companies don't even match any more because its too risky and they don't have to because the business climate supports fucking over employees. Complain? Sure and your job goes to an unregulated, low skill labor market in India.

and find something else to do.

People pick their battles, and this is a little important.

Like taking direct action against BP. Whining about daddy Obama isn't going to accomplish anything. People with a need for constant updates on a problem that they can't (or won't) do anything about have a personal problem.

1) I have a right to my opinion on how my country's leadership should react to situations.

2) I am not whining.

3) I do not have any personal problems as of yet regarding the oil spill.

4) You have no idea what I am doing concerning the problem.

5) I can post a response in a serious discussion without resorting to personal attacks.

I would think you would quit worrying about it. Your "leader" is not on TV talking about it? Maybe it's not as bad as you think it is. Maybe the M$M is what you are letting "lead" you. They exaggerate everything for drama purposes. So you could be panicking for no reason.

Maybe you should take your leader's lead and not panic any more.

I mean this is silly, if you want a leader, when you get one, you follow him, right?

When you do find a leader, I guess you'll do whatever that person says. So don't be criticizing anyone who trusts Obama, mmkay?

I pretty much don't need a leader. I'm an adult. I don't expect Obama to lead me. Just be the President.

Also, I tend to limit my conversation with people who type "mmkay".

I'd rather the President do his job than waste time on PR efforts trying to satisfy the demands of people who want a father figure providing constant reassurance while they sit in front of the TV watching disaster porn.

Yes, you're entitled to your opinion and I'm entitled to explain why the people demanding public theater from Obama would be better off finding anxiety relaxation techniques.

You know, the just kick back and reflect on the powerful free market solution to the problem...

- Before you fill up your car, find out what percentage of BP oil is used in the refining process? BP supplies lots of fuel, gas is often blended with different refiners products.

- Before you get on an airplane - ask where their jet fuel comes from.

- Oil change? Checks for percentage of BP refining products.

- Power bill, call your utility and find out if any natural gas comes from BP and don't pay that percentage.

See how easy it is for you as an individual?

It isn't enough to work 12 hours a day just to pay the bills, we have to have a second job managing the free market instead of rightfully complaining to our government and voice our discontent. When you multiply the cost of an individual and unorganized effort of a million people to make a credible boycott or free market action, it is laughable. If those same people work together to change government and expose the lies and deceptions behind hope and change, at the voting booth shit happens.

I hear the same arguments about microsoft. People who say, "if you don't like microsoft, don't buy their OS" as their email and internet traffic, banking, school computers,s work computers, dr. records, every thing in this world involves a microsoft product and you have no free market control over this.

People who trot out the free market solutions as being better than government, are dead wrong.

"People with a need for constant updates on a problem that they can't (or won't) do anything about have a personal problem. "

This is so disturbing of a statement, but perfectly consistent with the modern philosophy -any one who complains is just a whiner and has personal problems. There has hardly been an information overload about this deadly serious problem. I can just imagine the soviets with a similar statement after Chernobyl.

You shouldn't assume that people angry and enraged over this are not being effective. If you aren't enraged, it is time to get off the meds.

I wonder what sort of disaster is big enough to complain about without being called a whiner?

Well, I find people sitting in front of their TV and panicking as a form of entertainment to be disturbing. It's beyond news coverage. It's disaster porn. Calling the White House and shaking your fist at the TV is what the talk radio crowd thinks is "doing something."

You need to change your list. It isn't about just BP. You should do some things to reduce oil use:
Live less than five miles from work.
Drive a fuel efficient car.
Bike to work once in a while.
Promote city policies that reduce sprawl, promote smart growth, and mass transit.

The most important long-term solution is to put policies in place to reduce our use of oil such as, improving fuel economy standards, get old gas guzzlers off the road, get more hybrids and plug-ins on the road, and new investments in mass transit. Guess what?

Obama did ALL of those things BEFORE this disaster. So as far as leadership goes, Obama is doing a great fucking job.

Of course, just an innocent memory lapse.

Yeah - a great fucking job. If you work for BP and Exxon. For the rest of us, not such a great fucking job.

Obama is doing such a great fucking leadership job - his staff celebrated with a cake even as oil gushes into the Gulf.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jurCUhDwoXENraH04WAfeKk12BWwD9FRF89O0

:eyes:
People keep asking for a response. After getting the spill under control, the most important responses are things Obama has already done. The people crying bloody murder over the very limited expansion of drilling (that wouldn't have happened for years) always forget to mention the more immediate steps Obama already took.

And I'm sure Obama personally hand-picked every staff person in the Anchorage OMM office. Are you serious? Blaming Obama for that smacks of desperation.

a whole lot of demcorats (including me) were enraged. I'm just as enraged by the statement Obama cannot be held responsible. He is responsible. If he and his supporters can't stand the heat - get out of the oil fire.

And for the record there is a difference between being the cause of the oil spill and being responsible for it. He holds the office of president that makes him responsible for just about everything that goes on in the US, from war to domestic problems. I didn't say he is the cause of the spill.

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_10428441?source=rss

If after this, Obama didn't give MMS the fucking message that this shit has to stop and they felt comfortable to celebrate drill baby drill while this shit is happening? Give me a fucking break. This is a break down in leadership. He better get his shit together or we will both be complaining about the next republican president and how unfair he his.

Nice try at breaking me down and diluting this disaster. I may not be able to keep up with your posts attacking me personally, but if I can your defenses sound like they are lifted straight from DLC talking points. Just a little too fucking smug.

that Obama isn't responsible for responding to the spill. This thread is about the desire of some TV watching hand-wringers to have constant personal updates from the President. I sincerely hope Obama doesn't make the kind of PR efforts and theatrics you're looking for the focus of his response. That's not my idea of leadership.

I haven't called you out personally, but if you think I'm writing about you then I think you've self-identified.

since you were attacking me personally, it meets the definition of a personal attack. So, I'll address you personally as well.

I don't agree with you, I don't like you. But of course, you are free to say what you want but when challenged you pull out some DLC talking points and start with personal attacks. You have proven that no disaster is too great that it can't be driven down the sewer by meaningless attacks.

You will beat me in quantity of posts, but measured by quality - your posts suck. They really do.

"Whining about daddy Obama isn't going to accomplish anything. People with a need for constant updates on a problem that they can't (or won't) do anything about have a personal problem."

"This thread is about the desire of some TV watching hand-wringers to have constant personal updates from the President."

"Are you serious? Blaming Obama for that smacks of desperation...."

"Yes, you're entitled to your opinion and I'm entitled to explain why the people demanding public theater from Obama would be better off finding anxiety relaxation techniques."

With all the diagnosis going on from you - from chill pills, to mental health, I trust you are licensed to practice medicine and not just another DLC quack?

Never mind I bet I can figure it out. If it talks like a duck...

against Obama then you should expect to be called on it.

You attempted to blame Obama for something tasteless a few employees in an Anchorage Alaska office did. Are you suggesting he knew about it or approved it in advance? Are you suggesting he hired them because that's highly unlikely. Calling them "his staff" is misleading because these were career bureaucrats. It was a ridiculous attack and it shows that you're desperate for any flimsy thing to criticize Obama with.

Most of my comments were about a common attitude I see expressed on DU. Don't be so sensitive. Personally, I don't care if a random stranger on a message board says he doesn't like me. I'm a big boy and I can handle it.

and complaining that big brother should do something (instead of doing something themselves) are frustrating.

besides sitting around and complaining about legitimate concern and anger over how our government is handling this? A government by the people for the people?

I'm doing those things.

They are letting it rile them up.

oops!

oopsiefuckingdaisy!

That the media has an interest in dramatizing everything and making it sound worse than it is? This is bad but it may not be nearly as bad as the media makes it out to be. Why do you let them yank your chain?

Never mind, next week you will have forgotten this and will be outraged over something else. Watch your blood pressure.

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2010/post-disaster-permits-05-07-2010.html

snip...

Even as the BP drilling explosion which killed eleven people continues to gush hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil per day into the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. Department of Interior’s Minerals Management Service (MMS) has continued to exempt dangerous new drilling operations from environmental review. Twenty-seven new offshore drilling projects have been approved since April 20, 2010; twenty-six under the same environmental review exemption used to approve the disastrous BP drilling that is fouling the Gulf and its wildlife.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/natural_resources/article7133937.ece

snip...

President Barack Obama yesterday declared that offshore oil drilling would only be allowed to continue if firms gave assurances that disasters such as the present Gulf of Mexico spillage would be avoided.

As BP fights to contain that leak, Obama announced the launch of a commission to find the cause of the accident, sparked by an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig. Obama said: “We can only pursue offshore oil drilling if we have assurances that a disaster like the BP oil spill will not happen again.”

=====
This last one would make me howl with laughter if I weren't so fucking pissed off at the whole tragic situation.




on edit:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/05/06/national/main6467913.shtml

snip...

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar ordered a halt Thursday to all new U.S. offshore drilling permits until at least the end of the month, stepping up scrutiny of the entire industry amid a catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

=====

This story is dated May 6th. The first story is dated May 7. I'm confused. Is there a moratorium or not?

26 of these exempted from environmental review.

This isn't a touchy-feely thing. It's about war against the bottom 99% of the economic ladder.

problem before he speaks. i'm sure he's been meeting with his staff and advisors to find the best way to address this.

Geez! With all the "bush lite" actions of the man we elected, I still can't believe that there are still a few of us Democrats who are falling for the lie that Obama wants to help us. Story after story (e.g., FISA protection for the telecoms, "health care" that profits the insurance industry and pharms, CONTINUED WAR, letting off the AIG criminals, privatizing public housing projects, having conservatives secretly work on LOOTING the Social Security, etc. ), and you are still giving Obama a pass?

GEEZ.

Denial is not just a river in Egypt!

We are Democrats. We need to get REAL DEMOCRATS back in our party instead of the DINOS and other FAKE DEMOCRATS who have infiltrated our party.

Come back to the reality based community and stop with your fantasy land! (leave that to Disneyland)

I am a yellow dog Democrat. What we have in office now is Bush Lite. Obama ran on change and change means going in a different direction. Obama, himself, has not even faced in a new direction.

talk and nothing else. Primary Obama in '12.

Obama just hopes it will get fixed, but sendig the justice department should help...

I was thinking Clinton would be out there with special messages on the TV telling us what is being done, what needs to be done and how he was going to do it, like he did when he took us to war in Kosovo. Whether we agreed with him or not, at least he tried to make his case and assure us he was on top of things.

Photo ops like Bush did are not what I'm looking for - I'm looking for substance, and where the whole country can easily hear the President.

Obama sucks. There, will that be deleted too?

The Obama administration is proposing to open vast expanses of water along the Atlantic coastline, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the north coast of Alaska to oil and natural gas drilling, much of it for the first time, officials said Tuesday.

http://nyti.ms/aReWfy

How 'bout this?

This disaster is more than a month old? With our "president of the people" Obama at the helm?

Seriously?

Change has NOT come to America. It's just corporatism with a different face.

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And helpful too!

GD is fun.

It wouldn't have been accumulated numbskullery, but more run-of-the-mill stupidity.

It did not reach accumulated numbskullery until 139.

:applause:

went to the Gulf area to speak to people there, to help them sort out how to deal with this, and SPOKE LOUDLY AND CLEARLY AGAINST THE CORPPORATIONS, TELLING PEOPLE TO FIGHT THEM HARD.

We have a "president" who won't even BEGIN to speak out against the real evil in this country... the damned corporations.

Just an example. There are more.

Once again, he has a leadership deficit on a major issue.

He comes off as weak and impotent at best, uninterested at worst.

Meanwhile, BP runs around like someone died and made them Dick Cheney.