FAO Clanad

[BertiWooster]

May I direct this question to you , given that you are the only american based poster that I am aware of on this site ( other americans can of course give your opinions if you so wish )

What do you and the american public ; think of the Obama response and handling of the BP oil well
disaster ?
( I know you were critical of his healtcare reforms )

Is he doing - in your eyes - all that he can be reasonably expected to do ?

[dr b]

I posted this response on the "is Obama anti-British" thread:

http://www.theanswerb...s/Question900312.html

Obama is desperately trying to avoid this becoming his Hurricane Katrina. He was very critical of Bush's handling of Katrina while he was running for President, promising, implicitly, to be more competent than Bush was. Of course he and the US gov't don't have any more idea how to plug an oil leak than you or I do. Nor do they have the equipment to do so. So to deflect attention from this obvious fact they are keeping the heat on BP, as if that would get the leak plugged faster (is there any rational reason BP wouldn't get this thing fixed as fast as they could?). If this had been a Royal Dutch Shell rig, he'd be appearing to be anti-Dutch.

Speaking only as one American, not in any way for all Americans.

[Clanad]

dr b has captured the facts very well... it took Obama several weeks to even formulate a response and the main topic of that was to assure the American people that BP would foot the enormous costs of cleanup and litigation.
The Governor of Louisiana, Bobby Jindal, has proposed a number of protective devices to be installed along the marsh lands of the Mississippi delta near Grand Isle, Louisiana, and the government took nearly a month to "study" the proposals, only then agreeing to half the number requested and promising funding for only one.
The entire thrust of this administrations response has been to place blame, knowing all the while that BP is the only entity with the knowledge, equipment and men to fix the situation.
Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel said early on in the administration "... never let a good crisis go to waste..." using each one (probably including this one as well) to extend the governments control of resources, businesses and financial resources far beyond our ability to pay for it (especially including Obama's health care scheme)...

[New Judge]

Nice to see that we Brits are not alone in thinking our politicians are inept and devious!

[heathfield]

No point in Obama having the US government take over the well-plugging operation. He is fully aware that BP have already assembled the world's most experienced people to work on it. Unfortunately for him, this makes it look as though he's doing nothing about it.

[ludwig]

I'm not sure what it is Obama is supposed to have said or done that he hasn't already. Short of putting on a diving suit and going down there himself there's not alot more that can be done by anyone other than BP - or am I missing something?

[Tizzi24]

No, I don't think you are ludwig. I personally thing he is doing his best, given the awful situation.