President Obama "Angry and Frustrated" with BP, Halliburton -- and Interior Department ...

[sabra]

Source: ABC News

After being briefed this morning by members of his Cabinet on the latest on the Gulf oil spill, President Obama will make remarks to reporters in which he expresses his "anger and frustration" with the companies responsible for the spill, a senior White House official tells ABC News.

The president, the official said, is chagrined not only with the fact that the leak has yet to be plugged, but at the fingerpointing and blame-shifting seen during a Congressional hearing earlier this week by executives of BP, Transocean, and Halliburton.

The federal government's role in the disaster has not escaped his notice either, the official said. The president believes that the Interior Department's Minerals Management Services did not ensure that every safety precaution was taken. He is supportive of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's proposed changes to the agency, such as separating the division of MMS that collects royalties from oil companies from the division that ensures enforcement.

Read more: http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/05/president-obama-angry-and-frustrated-with-bp-halliburton----and-interior-department-does-not-escape-notice-either.html

[Newsjock]

1. Perhaps he will write a strongly-worded memo

That works so well when Congress does it.

[Mark D.]

33. The Memo Needed

Is the president reaching out to the UN to say 'we and BP can't stop the leak, ask the rest of the world to help, or this will be their problem, very soon'. I can't stress this enough. If I could tell the government one thing, it would be to do that. We don't know the solution, but if we can all work together as one world, we could find it I'm sure. Enough blame for now, stop the leak FIRST please.

[Peace Patriot]

37. Good point! Enlist world help. Venezuela just lost a gas rig in the Caribbean without loss of life

and with virtually no impact on the environment due to SAFETY precautions required by the government. Norway has had several off-shore spills but with relatively little damage, due also to strong safety requirements and plans. These and other governments have knowledge, expertise, technology and experienced work crews who might be able to help. I applaud your suggestion. I hope that it is implemented.

In addition to having THE biggest oil reserve on earth (twice Saudi Arabia's), Venezuela has one of the biggest gas reserves on earth. For more on the lost gas platform see...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100513/ap_on_bi_ge/lt_venezuela_gas_platform

--

Norway's 2007 oil spill...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7140645.stm

--

Interesting lede for this article on the oil bosses' strike in Venezuela in 2003, which was aimed at toppling the Chavez government and which created a mess of oil spills in Lake Maracaibo...(requires free subscription to read it all)

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-11081539.html

--

I googled for Venezuelan oil spills and found almost nothing. Given Venezuela's huge oil reserves and huge oil industry, that's kind of amazing. We need to learn more about Venezuela's safety precautions, any spills and clean-up procedures. That is the most obvious as well as closest source of expertise and help.

Here is "A History of Major Oil Spills" from the New York Slimes (um, Times)...(no major spills by Venezuela)

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/10/us/20100510_OIL_TIMELINE.html

This history cites a 1990 Norwegian tanker/light crude oil spill that was quickly and effectively cleaned up.

[ensho]

2. he better say he has put Justice to work on it. you know law and order

he better do something about alleviating his 'frustration' with some action

[Mari333]

3. "I am angry"

oh yes, and what do you intend to DO about it?

[CountAllVotes]

4. toss another $50 billion for wars in Iraq/Afghanistan

That should soothe his anger. Drop a few bombs somewhere to diffuse his anger! :argh:

[cliffordu]

9. Not even a nice try.

Really fucking lazy, actually.

:hurts:

[Lorien]

16. Drones. Don't forget the drones.

Killing a bunch of brown people overseas for billions solves everything, or some would think considering the current budget allocations. :grr:

[CountAllVotes]

22. yes, what a great set of "priorities"

I'll tell you, he is making me sicker by the day. So much for him saying that he thought the war in Iraq was "a dumb idea". If it was a dumb idea than why the hell are we still funding it along with Afghanistan? WHY OBAMA, WHY?

I guess if it isn't a bank, a corporation, or another war effort it is of no use nor has a priority whatsoever. :puke:

:kick:

[Bluebear]

26. Hey, he gave a speech.

[salguine]

5. Maybe he should start acting like the fucking President then, and start

cracking some heads, instead of trying to be everybody's BFF all the fucking time.

[fatbuckel]

20. what are you ...fourteen?

[pundaint]

32. Sounds more like poster is a grownup who has abandoned magic, and understands leaderhip

The fourteen year-olds would be the ones who are easy prey for poseur tricksters, and still believe campaign images despite a divergent reality.

[salguine]

35. I might ask you the same thing.

[ShortnFiery]

40. +1.

Excellent point.

[salguine]

6. Maybe a $10 billion fine for BP for every day that the well goes unplugged. Hit them in the

only place they understand.

[LuckyLib]

10. Exactly. Rack up those charges to a gulf environmental fund.

It will take decades to recover from this. I'm so angry! We should all be furious and make our fury known to Obama and that crazy Congress.:mad:

[Trillo]

7. Man oilive, if only everyday, common citizens could get "categorical exemptions"

when they need to do a "minor" home addition. You know, like bulldoze and start over. Really. It's just a minor matter. No need for permits. No need for fees to local goverment. No need for building inspectors.

All we common folks need is a "categorical exemption". Big companies have evidently had them for years. Let the little people have them, too. Its a fundamental matter of fairness.

[ljm2002]

28. We need some class-action suits based on the equal protection clause...

...since corporate persons are now enjoying legal privileges that real persons do not enjoy.

[florida08]

8. frustrated?

How about hopping mad! Your the POTUS for pete sake. I sure thought he would have more hutzpah than he has shown.

[Angry Dragon]

11. I want to see some people lose their jobs

over this disregard for regulation skirting.

[BlueIris]

41. Exactly. There's a difference between accepting responsibility and showing accountability.

Ugly, ugly mess.

[Zoeisright]

12. So DO something about it!!

Jesus, I am sick of words. And finger-pointing needs continue until someone is held accountable.

[MannyGoldstein]

13. He'll Huff, and He'll Puff, and He'll ...

Give cash to bankers.

Obama has never held anyone accountable.

[CountAllVotes]

14. that is the priority

Wall Street and bankers - these are the only CORPORATIONS AND PIGS that deserve anything to him IMO. :puke:

[Iowa]

36. Yep.

[Jakes Progress]

15. God but it would be nice

to believe that this was the straw that did it, that finally he would learn that compromising every time is not a virtue, that the only thing these bastards understand is someone flinging them jail. If only this were so. If only this made him re-examine the capitulatory compulsion that has made a shambles of his first two years. If only he would actually do something this time and re-visit the mistakes he has made.

If only. Wish I had some hope.

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Bette Noir]

24. And flinging racial slurs at the President helps, how?

[dgibby]

18. If he's really seriously angry,

then he'll start by firing Salazar, then follow that up by turning BP, Transocean, Hailburton, and the previous administration over to the DOJ for legal action; otherwise, he's just huffing and puffing. I sincerely hope he takes immediate, decisive action.

[Robbien]

19. This reads like a PR plant by the WH press room

Obama is doing and will do nothing to BP but as cover is telling the public he's angry.

Tell that to the fishes.

[CountAllVotes]

23. tell that to Louisiana

:grr: :grr: :grr: :argh: !!!!!!!!!!

[BrklynLiberal]

21. He should be pissed as hell at them.....

[frylock]

25. he's very, very angry..

[Buns_of_Fire]

38. Oh noez! They're going to use the Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator on it?

This makes me very angry, very angry indeed.

[ljm2002]

27. I'm angry and frustrated too...

...with the companies involved, with Congress and with the President.

Congress has failed at any realistic oversight and now are holding CYA hearings that make for good sound bites but little else.

Then there's the President. President Obama, do you fucking STAND FOR ANYTHING? Anything at all? Because I'm not seeing it.

He is first and foremost a compromiser, someone who believes that you can be "pragmatic" when it comes to issues like offshore oil drilling.

Now I know hindsight is 20/20. It's easy to take potshots now that a disaster has occurred. But this is just one of so many issues where he has compromised away any principled position.

Health care -- he was for the public option before he was against it.

DADT -- he was against it, before he adopted a "wait and see" position

Iraq/Afghanistan -- he was for winding down, before he backed off in Iraq and escalated in Afghanistan

Indefinite detention -- he was against it, but now he says we have to do it for "some" individuals

And before the caterwauling starts: yes, I know that the Obama administration is infinitely better than McCain's would have been. No, I do not think Obama is the "same as Bush". But to say I am disappointed would be an understatement.

Okay President Obama: one reason you are pissed off is that this disaster really makes you look bad. You went along with offshore oil drilling, you did not differentiate your position from your predecessors, and now you look like a fool. There's a lesson in there somewhere.

[GOTV]

29. And when Obama gets angry people get speech-ified! - and then they get a check. n/t

[pundaint]

31. that is very funny

[pundaint]

30. Now he knows how many of his voters feel!

[ConcernedCanuk]

34. Despite the coined phrase that USA Presidents are the most powerful men in the World

.
.
.

Obama is finding out

it ain't true.

think MIC

[Duer 157099]

39. If only he were in a position of power... n/t