Yes or No - Is the Obama Administration doing enough concerning the BP gusher?

[jillan]

There seems to be quite a debate going on here. I'm curious to see some numbers.

Simple Yes or No. I think most of us have already made up our minds.

**As requested, I added "I don't know".

Comments always welcomed :hi:

[Swamp Rat]

1. No. eom

[Ruby the Liberal]

2. No.

[Lerkfish]

3. Obviously, since the situation is not fixed, everyone with any responsibility needs to do more.

so the answer is no.

I did find it interesting that my rec of your threat still left it at zero.

since you include a very balanced choice of answers, I see no reason at all for anyone to unrec this poll, unless they are really wackadoodle.

[Cant trust em]

4. You mean there are DUers who are wackadoodle?

That can't be right.

:rofl:

[Lorien]

6. They don't like the poll results. nt

[jillan]

7. I think it's me. Seems like everytime I post I get an automatic unrec.

whatever :)

[Lorien]

20. Heheh, I know the feeling

:hi: :yourock:

[Bluebear]

33. +1

[Bluebear]

28. Oh, join the club lol

[Lerkfish]

43. yup, join the club

I'm their current lightning rod.

[jberryhill]

5. Why is "I don't know" not an option /nt

[jillan]

9. I thought about it. But I spent alot of time on DU over the weekend & it sure seemed like most

people had their minds made up.

What the heck - I'll add it ;)

[jberryhill]

11. Yeah, because people who are undecided on a question...

...are such prolific posters in favor of not having made up their mind.

[bobburgster]

8. I voted "no" because it....

sure does not seem like it to me. Maybe that's just the impression I'm getting.

[Vinca]

10. The building berms suggestion that Louisiana wants to do ASAP

is an opportunity for Obama to green light a proactive effort immediately. It's ludicrous it's being held up because there has to be an "environmental impact study." You need studies to pile sand but not to do deep water drilling?

[jillan]

13. I know! Randi Rhodes was talking about this LAST week -

last week, and it's still not done. W.T.F.????

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I am glad Jindal is out there screaming about this. When it comes to our planet, screw partisanship!

[Cant trust em]

12. I don't know what else could be done, but I have this nagging feeling that more could be done.

I don't think that the feds have much capability to create a solution to end the spill, but I don't think that we've hit our maximum effort to come up with such a solution.

End result is my IDK vote.

[handmade34]

14. I would like to see more action

Mike Papantonio just covered the situation pretty well on Hardball

[Common Sense Party]

15. Definitely not.

An appalling lack of leadership.

[jaxx]

16. I said yes.

As Admiral Allen said today, "Replace them......with what?"

It sounds like everybody is working on it, and if drilling another well is the only foolproof answer, it's not going to be soon enough. It's ugly.

[Bitwit1234]

17. Did you not know that

the US does not have ANY EQUIPMENT THEY CAN USE TO FIGHT THE GUSHER. They provided what they could. The lent BP a gamma ray camera so they could monitor the leak. They have provided scientist and asked scientist around the world to study and try to find a solution. Other than that there is nothing they have to provide to help. Alexerod said today they are providing this assistance because they have no equipment.

I think what Obama should do is come forward and tell the country they have no equipment. That the scientist are trying to find a solution. They could help LA and the coast countries by giving assistance with the dredging but if they don't have the equipment what in the devil are we supposed to do.

[Lorien]

22. James Cameron offered his deep water submersibles, Iran offered equipment and aid

there are a number of universities which also have subs that are used at far greater depths. The "we have no equipment" argument is dishonest at best.

[madrchsod]

18. BP is running the show....

it is fast becoming obama`s "katrina"

[amborin]

19. and it's not just stopping the spill but managing the overall crisis....

why is BP in charge of that also?


such as booms, etc.....

[Raine]

21. No nt

[Upton]

23. No.

[KonaKane]

24. If anyone here has better ideas, please fax them to the White House

I'm serious about that. If you are absolutely sure that you have solutions that are not being tried, you need to send them in.

[Lorien]

25. Kick. nt

[Bluebear]

45. .

[Political Tiger]

26. Since he hasn't taken the advice of all the oil leak experts here on DU the obvious answer is.....

n/t

[Name removed]

27. Deleted message

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

[Name removed]

29. Deleted message

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

[highplainsdem]

30. No.

[PufPuf23]

31. No.

There is incompetency and bias expanding the clusterf*ck.

I stated from day one Salazar was a nightmare pick and I am so totally blown away that the deep water leases were issued under Categorical Exclusions.

I actually don't blame Obama much; I think he is just out of his comfort zone in a bubble with poor advisors.

[ProSense]

32. This is better than a poll

People agreeing with a demand for specific actions...


that have already been carried out.


• Brought in the best minds in the country, from universities and technology, for emergency efforts to find solutions.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 19

Top Scientists Engaging Closely with BP’s Efforts to Cap the Leak

As a responsible party, BP is charged with capping their leaking oil well. However, the U.S. government is taking an active role to ensure that BP’s approach is as strong and as innovative as possible. The Department of Energy has engaged some of the world’s top scientific and engineering minds from Sandia, Los Alamos and Livermore Labs—to lend their expertise to BP’s efforts to cap the well and permanently stop the leak.

These government scientists are reviewing every plan on the table, validating those that are moving forward and providing additional expertise and input on new tactics.

• Moved quickly to mobilize the National Guard and other military forces, if necessary, ensuring that they received the resources needed to protect our beaches.

FRIDAY, APRIL 30

In response to the BP oil spill, the Secretary of Defense authorizes under Title 32 the mobilization of the Louisiana National Guard to help in the ongoing efforts to assist local communities in the cleanup and removal of oil and to protect critical habitats from contamination.

TUESDAY, MAY 4

National Guard Activation

Secretary Gates has authorized use of Title 32 status for up to 17,500 National Guard members in four states: Alabama (3,000), Florida (2,500), Louisiana (6,000) and Mississippi (6,000).

The state of Louisiana has activated approximately 1,200 National Guard members under Title 32 for command and control and sandbagging operations in St Bernard and Plaquemines parishes. Louisiana National Guard personnel are actively manning the Joint Operations Center and Tactical Aviation Cell.

THURSDAY, MAY 13

National Guard Support Continues to Build

1,304 National Guard personnel are currently supporting oil response—952 from the Louisiana National Guard are providing Command and Control and sandbagging support to St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes, supporting marina operations and conducting HAZMAT training; 323 from the Alabama National Guard are deploying protective barriers around Dauphin Island and conducting sandbag and security operations; 25 from the Mississippi National Guard personnel are providing helicopter support and liaison officers to aid local officials with emergency response; and four from the Florida National Guard are performing liaison duties in support of the response effort to the Unified Command Center in Alabama and to its own emergency operations center in Tallahassee.

THURSDAY, MAY 20

Natural Resource Conservation Service Continues to Build Response

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service has deployed personnel and multiple vessels to assist the Louisiana Department of Fisheries and Wildlife in monitoring oil making landfall in Terrebonne Bay and Breton Sound areas in Louisiana, and continues to assist the Louisiana National Guard with technical engineering recommendations for stabilizing beach and headland areas where sand and earthen material is being placed to plug openings to prevent the oil from entering the wetlands.

• Made a clear call to citizen volunteers to help where necessary.

MONDAY, MAY 3

More Than 2,000 Volunteers Are Trained To Assist

More than 2,000 volunteers receive training to assist in the response effort to that date. Volunteer recruitment efforts include outreach to local fishermen with boats, which can be used as vessels of opportunity to assist contractors in deploying boom.

• Given Cabinet officers an ultimatum: Get this under control in the next 30 days, or else.

TUESDAY, MAY 4

Cabinet Officials Brief Members of Congress

Secretary Salazar, Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, Administrator Jackson, DHS Deputy Secretary Jane Holl Lute and Admiral Allen provided a bi-partisan and bi-cameral briefing to Congress on the administration’s all-hands-on-deck response to the spill. They updated members of Congress on the status of ongoing, coordinated response efforts in the Gulf coast states and delivered an update on BP’s mitigation plans for potentially impacted Gulf Coast states.

Cabinet Officials Host Daily Coordination Calls with the Gulf Coast State Governors

To ensure consistent coordination with the Gulf Coast states, Admiral Thad Allen, Secretaries Janet Napolitano and Ken Salazar, Administrator Lisa Jackson and NOAA Deputy Under Secretary Monica Medina began daily calls with the Governors from the five Gulf Coast states to provide updates on the response to the BP oil spill and answer any questions that arise. Governors Barbour, Crist, Jindal, Perry and Riley have been invited to participate in the daily calls moving forward. These daily calls are a follow up to the calls last Friday and Sunday between the Governors and the agencies involved in the federal response, as well as the calls last week between the President and the Governors and the President’s visit to the region on Sunday. These calls are intended to further the already unprecedented cooperation and focused effort between state and local officials and the federal government in response to this situation.

deepwaterhorizonresponse.com

The Ongoing Administration-Wide Response to the Deepwater Horizon BP Oil Spill

[moondust]

34. Wouldn't one have to know what is going on behind the scenes?

How the hell would I know?

I have little choice but to assume that since it is in EVERYBODY'S interest to plug the thing then whatever can be done is being done.

[Bluebear]

35. Why don't we know what's going on behind the scenes?

[moondust]

37. Well,

would you expect BP or the government to release details of every phone consultation that takes place with every scientist or expert in the oil industry and/or NOAA and/or the Coast Guard and/or Transocean and/or Halliburton and/or Schlumberger and/or whomever else may or may not have some relevant input into some detail of this thing? I wouldn't. Maybe later during an investigation but not in the middle of an ongoing crisis.

[Bluebear]

38. Honestly, yes, I would expect them to release very detailed notes of what is going on.

This is a serious crisis for our planet, not some minor matter!

[Jamastiene]

39. The VERY LEAST they could do is

give daily briefings on overall progress and answers as to why it is taking so long to implement any idea they plan on trying.

Your post seems to indicate that you think people want an extreme amount of information, when all most of us are really asking are a few simple questions that they could answer easily. The public deserves to know. Until they officially change it, it is still "we the people." Don't forget that.

[TorchTheWitch]

36. nothing should be going on behind the scenes

and if anything is, that's a enormous red flag. The only reason to do anything behind the scenes is to hide things you don't want the public to know because you know the public won't like what you're doing (or not doing as the case may be).

[Jamastiene]

40. No.

[Xicano]

41. NO!

n/t

[Greyhound]

42. Not sure if more is entirely correct, but definitely different. Something along the lines

of leading, perhaps?

[tencats]

44. I have to vote No.

.