Thursday, April 29, 2010

Administration Slow to Respond to Spill - Where is Obama?

Finally, today, the administration announced it will escalate its response to the spill. WSJ story here. Curious that it took so long for the administration to respond.

The rig exploded a week ago Tuesday and sank on a Wednesday, a full eight days ago. For eight days the rig has been spewing oil into the Gulf. For eight days industry and environmental officials have been talking about a major spill with the potential to cause one of the worst ecological disasters in U.S. history.

What has the Obama Administration been doing about it? Other than pledging to investigate the cause of the incident, virtually nothing.

How is it possible congress - which was so quick to criticize Bush for failing to respond to the hurricane Katrina disaster - can't find its public voice now?

Bush signed a $10.5 billion dollar relief bill within 4 days of the hurricane's landfall. Louisiana National Guard troops were boots-on-the-ground with relief supplies within one to two days. And still congress, following their illustrious leaders Reid and Pelosi, cried their crocodile tears.

It has been eight days since this rig started leaking oil into the Gulf. And it's only now that the administration is mobilizing, if you can call it that. Where is Obama? What has he been doing for eight days? You want to know? Well, take a look below:

April 22, 2010. Wall Street, Earth Day.

Obama cancelled his trip to Asia in order to stay in Washington to help pass a national health care bill. But in the wake of this particular environmental disaster, he first went on a weekend vacation to North Carolina, then to a funeral for the miners killed at Upper Big Branch, then he received the World Champion Yankees at the White House . . . he pushed financial reform at a town hall meeting, lambasted Wall Street and then went to a fundraiser to raise money for the DNC at a memorial service for civil rights activist Dorothy Height.

Excuse me, but where are all the critics?

-seabgb


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