President Barack Obama’s floundering Presidency is taking fire for its lackluster response to the massive Gulf oil spill as Democrats, Republicans and voters show increasing frustration.
House Oversight and Government Reform chairman Edolphus Towns, a prominent New York Democrat, called the White House’s handing of the affair “simply unacceptable” and lectured Interior Secretary Ken Salazar for not even acknowledging a letter from his committee requesting documents on the spill.
“After repeated phone calls by Committee staff, we were informed today that the requested information and records will not be produced any time soon and that no estimate can be provided as to when the committee will receive this information,” Towns wrote in a letter reported by Politico.
Meanwhile, the White House is launching a damage-control media propaganda campaign to try and convince the public that it is on top of the situation.
Several reporters were invited to an on-the-record briefing Wednesday with incident commander Thad Allen.
“I think they want to do what everybody in this city always wants to do: Get their side of the story across,” said Eugene Robinson, a Washington Post columnist invited to the briefing.
But the briefing doesn’t satisfy reporters who find the Obama Presidency falls far short of promised transparency.
ABC News White House correspondent Ann Compton accuses the President of “dereliction of duty” in his handing of breaking news issues.
“I’ve never seen a president as reluctant to engage in a news conference setting,” Compton told Michael Calderone, a media writers for Yahoo News. She should know. She’s covered seven presidents.
Obama will address the oil spill in a rare news conference today: His first since July.
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8 thoughts on “Obama under fire for tepid oil spill response”
Keep the Government out of my business until a disater srikes and then blame them for not solving every problem in 24 hours. After all Jack Bauer and all the csi’s do it in a day or hour.
Short of taking the 3 CEO’s putting them in a sub and sticking their sorry asses into the hole, just what exactly do you people want the Gov. to do???
Same goes for all those who build in a hurricane area. Generally speaking they” don’t want no official telling them where or how to build.” When the shit hits the fan they all line up to have the GOV. pay them for their loss and to rebuild in the same place.
After all all you tea party nuts cases believe…”PRIVATE Blanking ENTERPRISE” can solve every problem.
Well it wasn’t the government that caused this MESS. But you’re now blaming it for not immediately solving the problem.
Face it BP Haliburton and all caused this.
I don’t know how you can interpret our responses as asking the government to solve this problem.
My first sentence was an observation that Obama doesn’t do news conferences because he prefers scripted speeches in front of friendly audiences (sound familiar?) as opposed to answering questions.
My second sentence reaffirms my position that the government can not solve this problem, and was aimed at those that think otherwise. I would think a basic moron would understand that, but I guess I was wrong.
I especially liked when Obama suggested the oil companies be forced to pay into a government fund so in the future these kinds of events can be handled in “2 or 3 or 4 days.”
Basically Obama suggests that the government can solve in 3 or 4 days what trained industry professionals haven’t been able to solve in over a month. And of course, paying into this fund would mean the costs of said fund would be felt at the pump in terms of higher prices and most likely more taxpayer subsidies.
I also find it hard to believe that BP would be dragging its feet puposely while they’re losing tens of millions of dollars in product, not to mention tens of millions trying to solve the problem. But I’m sure when it’s all over, the taxpayer will be footing the bill for this misadventure in either case.
And in case you haven’t noticed, we “tea party nut cases” rightly put the blame for the financial crisis on the “private banking enterprise” known as the Federal Reserve and are working toward auditing and eventually abolishing said private banking enterprise.
I want smaller government.
I want the government to fix everything.
Choose one.
I choose smaller government. Let the oil industry and industrial engineers, not just BP fix the problem. It’s getting pretty obvious Beyond Prosecution is inept at capping the well.
But there is a nice boycott of BP starting up. Don’t buy BP gas until it’s capped!
Want in one hand…
We are going to lose all fishing and tourism from the Yucatan to the Caribbean to clear up the Outer Banks if this well isn’t capped soon. Just wait for the first hurricane this year to blow oil up to 100 miles inland as well. This is a disaster of biblical proportions that will linger with us for 30 years or more.
Goodbye Cape Coral, Sarasota, Miami.
Goodbye Jamaica, Bahamas, Cayman Islands.
Goodbye Cancun, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen.
Goodbye Corpus Christi, Galveston, Padre Island.
Goodbye Mobile.
Goodbye Gulfport, Pascagoula.
Goodbye Savannah, Brunswick.
Goodbye Venice, Chalmette, Grand Isle.
Goodbye Myrtle Beach, Huntington Beach, Charleston.
Goodbye Outer Banks, Newport, Virgina Beach.
Are you getting the picture yet?
This is bigger and longer lasting than Katrina!
Hey, the messiah doesn’t like to be questioned.
Haven’t we all figured out that you simply can not rely on government?
You’re so right. They probably have their own private water source!
If it means taking their hands out of the pocket of corporate America–it won’t happen.
This is THE golden opportunity for Obama to take a radical stand on energy reform. ANYONE NOTICE HOW THAT’S NOT WHAT ‘S HAPPENING?
It never will.
This is just so sad. So sad for all the innocent wild life that is suffering and dying–and then there’s us. Humans have such bad karma! It you’re not part of the solution you’re part of the problem. EVERYONE should be writing to their elected officials! Everyone should be raising their voices here! Schools should be on alarm and facilitate the students into action.
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