Here's an article in the WSJ about how the Administration is controlling the coverage of the spill. Basically, nobody can announce anything without the Administration's approval. What was a somewhat coordinated and deferential effort by both BP and the Administration's representatives is now considered "abrasive" and adversarial.
If the Administration isn't careful, they'll find themselves all alone with this thing. BP will do only what they have to by law. They'll stop paying compensation and clean-up costs and turn everything over to their lawyers. I'm sure there are members of BP's executive board asking themselves why they're paying out more than any other oil company in history.
For political reasons, the Administration needs to be relentlessly hammering blame and responsibility onto BP. And it helps them to be in an adversarial position. It would help them even further if BP decided enough was enough. If Hayward suddenly announced that BP would do everything the law required but no more, then what? What could the President do? Seize a foreign company? Seize their assets? I don't think so. But at least the public would be behind him 100%. A man of the people fighting for the people against an evil corporate giant. It's a fantasy scenario for this president.
Unfortunately, without BP and its army of industry experts, the U.S. Government, including the Coast Guard, FEMA, Dept. of Interior, Army Corp of Engineers, EPA and other agencies and departmets, are at a complete loss to stop the leak and/or clean-up the spilled oil.
Let's stop the stupid trash talk and the meaningless calls for operational deadlines and work together to solve this problem.
~seabgb
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