We're losing the gulf war

By Eugene Robinson
Tuesday, June 15, 2010

It's great that President Obama and his advisers finally seem to understand the atmospherics of responding to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Now if they'd only get the policy right.

Whether Obama has been demonstrative enough in his public handling of the catastrophe is a legitimate question, but it's somewhat beside the point. Yes, there is an aspect of theatrical performance inherent in the presidency, and no, Obama doesn't seem to relish that part of his job. But the man is who he is -- he doesn't shoot from the hip, doesn't thump tables or pound podiums, and would strike a glissando of false notes if he suddenly tried to pretend otherwise. How well Obama learns to communicate empathy and passion while staying true to himself is relevant to his long-term effectiveness as president and, ultimately, to his legacy. No amount of scenery-chewing, however, can begin to ameliorate what the White House calls the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history.

The issue isn't what Obama is feeling, it's what he's doing. Why haven't skimmers been brought in from around the world to scoop up more of the oil? Why isn't the defense of the coastline being run like a military campaign, with failure not an option? Why is the answer to every question essentially the same -- "We've repeatedly asked BP to get that done" -- when we're dealing with a crisis that has to be seen as an urgent matter of national security and the public welfare?

Enough of asking BP. The company is responsible for the spill and must be made to pay dearly. But BP management answers to the company's shareholders, not to the American people. And even if BP's gaffe-prone chief executive, Tony Hayward, and his lieutenants had only the purest and noblest of intentions, the problem they have created in the gulf is far beyond their capacity to solve.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/14/AR2010061404481.html

I liked his final line: "There's no silver bullet that can defeat this bloblike enemy, but each drop of oil that gets removed from the gulf and its shores is a victory -- and each drop that doesn't is a defeat. It's that simple. This is war."

BTW, he's taking questions at 1PM today (EST).

Those that may not give a damn about the environment at least care about the economic damage that this will bring to their states. They are bound to lose billions in the fishing and tourism industries.

Those who are not directly affected are heartsick about the ruination of the ecosystem of the area. I'm cringing to think what the spill is going to do to my beloved Keys.

:cry:

and put behind bars would be a REAL victory.

This kind of reckless environmental devastation created for short-term profits won't stop until the consequences outweigh corporate gains.

That's newsworthy.

There'll be plenty of time to nail BP to the wall. Meantime, thousands of gallons of oil are still spilling into the Gulf and there are not enough people, equipment and ships at the moment to contain the damage.

The damage is too widespread and this is the time to have all hands on deck. I don't care if they get Satan himself to help.

whatever imaginary objective we have in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it deserves far more attention, effort, and global action.