"Obama is beyond livid at British Petroleum"

[Clio the Leo]

Obama is said to be beyond livid at British Petroleum and by his government's own inability to contain and mitigate what he realizes is an environmental catastrophe of near un-imaginable proportions. Says an official: "It gnaws at him." If you want to get as angry as POTUS, read this series of articles by Brentin Mock of TheLensNola. Problem is: there's really not much the administration can do, because its technical capacity is limited. The tragedy is that big. In the near term, expect more money and more people. Note: Rep. Henry Waxman hinted that MSNBC tonight that BP "may not survive" the combined financial/PR crisis that has resulted. ... The administration sent a letter to the Hill tonight asking for an oil spill supplemental, which would make more money available more quickly.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/10/05/the-night-beat-a-new-york-welcome-for-obama/56639

I'm fairly certain that a pissed off Barack Obama is something I'd rather not ever have to see.

Related, "Obama proposes larger oil cleanup fund, tax on oil companies"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x297258

[Atman]

1. I'm fairly certain that a pissed off Barack Obama...

...will prove to be impotent against the myriad petro lawyers who are figuring out ways to limit their financial exposure and stick the United States taxpayers with the tab for this most horrific of un-natural disasters. This rig is flagged in the Marshall Islands, owned by a British company, operated by a Swedish company, pumping the United States' oil while subsidized by American taxpayers.

President Obama...how about "Executive Order" time and shut this fucking nonsense down all together, before BP simply declares bankruptcy and tells us to go fuck ourselves? Please?

.

[hughee99]

5. Perhaps he'll smack them down with a sternly worded letter

and government funds to help with the cleanup.

[Name removed]

20. Deleted message

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[Igel]

46. Executive orders are limited.

They aren't "orders issued by the executive branch for the country." They are orders issued by the chief executive for the executive branch under his authority.

As such, they have to abide by the law. The ones that don't tend to be understandably not law-abiding: The continuation of authority order, signed by each president since at least Kennedy, oversteps its bounds quite a bit but only comes into effect if a disaster wipes out sufficient of Congress and the judiciary that the Constitutional authorities can't function.

Otherwise they simply state regulations and policies on how to do things, where the law is silent and the only people involved are his employees. "Shut down BP" would require a basis in law, one that's not there. "This is how we deal with classified information" is under Obama's jurisdiction--both because of legislation, and because of that "we".

Then again, we could just have Obama shred the Constitution.

[Crunchy Frog]

2. Good. I want to see what he's like when he's livid.

[glinda]

9. Me too. I will bet he can get pissed.

[FrenchieCat]

22. Are those Crunchy Frog babies?

If so, congrats! They are totally adorable!

[Crunchy Frog]

24. Thank you. Yours are too.

:hi:

[msongs]

3. if BP was gay he would study them for a year before doing anything about it lol nt

[Aramchek]

4. you sure do have a one-track mind

[AndyA]

15. Being forced to wait for equality--something most people already enjoy--is difficult.

Compassion, consideration, and understanding from those who aren't being discriminated against helps.

[ZombieHorde]

16. Awesome post, but I doubt people who don't already understand this care. nt

[Forkboy]

18. Ever try to understand why?

[QC]

30. No.

All that matters is that someone is insufficiently enthusiastic about a politician aramchek has made into some sort of fantasy best friend.

[saracat]

6. He should be "beyond livid" at Salazar as well.

[glinda]

11. Salazar and ALL the Bush holdovers. All should be canned.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

29. Salazar is not a Bush hold-over

And he has a 81% lifetime rating from the League of Conservation Voters, which means that he's not perfect, but he's a damned sight better than many of his predecessors.

I'll agree that the MMS needs to be "burned to the ground" and started over again. That's pretty much what's been proposed. The new MMS will have two divisions -- one for writing permits and one for safety and environmental enforcement. The enforcement people will be separate from the permitting people, and they'll have the power to effectively veto any permits if the driller can't meet safety standards.

The toxic atmosphere in the MSS is something that has been known for years -- dating back before Bush and even before Clinton. Salazar had initiated an agency review some months back -- but certainly not in time to prevent this catastrophe.

I'll also agree that he should have moved faster -- from Day One -- to start a safety review of every operating rig. Should he be fired for that? I don't think so.

[joe black]

32. Go tell that to a wolf.

Salazar seems to think it's ok to hunt them down and kill them.

[gateley]

12. Oh please oh please oh please. nt

[depakid]

7. I'd be angry too I 'd just given my seal of approval and had something of this magnitude occur

On the one hand you've got regrets at the misstep(s)- and on the other, helplessness to do anything to stop the growing catastrophe.

I'd hate to be among the advisers who told him to make that move (or God forbid, failed to emphasize that a similar disaster happened just last year off West Australia).

[Blue Owl]

8. Oil doesn't mix with water OR government

Now would be a good time to break the oil habit this country has been all junked out on, President Obama.

The shift to non-oil-based energy cannot happen fast enough.

[Moochy]

10. Imagine the speeches he's going to give about them!

I bet they are quaking in their boots!

[gateley]

13. I'm glad. I hope he's saying in the background 'I want these assholes to go DOWN.' nt

[Nite Owl]

14. So is drilling off the table now?

Or is this still a rare event? I'd like to hear his decision on that.

[freddie mertz]

28. No,. The Dems have proposed new subsidies for it.

Sickening.

[ChiciB1]

33. NEVER Watch CNN Anymore, But MSNBC Just Quoted A Poll That SAID...

and hold onto your hat here because I DON'T understand this at all! It stated that SIXTY Per Cent of the American people STILL SUPPORT off-shore drilling!!

I live in an area that has touted many times in the past, THE WHITEST beaches in THE WORLD, here in Florida, and a place the environmentalist say it's not "IF" the spill will come ashore, but "WHEN!"

I'm just south of this area on the Gulf side and I've heard that some in Tampa are already beginning to "smell that smell!" We are south of Tampa, but only an hour away!

What DON'T those 60%'ers get or understand??? I say, come on down, bring your slip 'n slide, have a little fun, but don't expect to get the grime off your body ever again!!!

Me? I'm past anger and feeling mostly DESPERATE!

[MadMaddie]

48. I don't believe those numbers

polls are pretty much skewed these days....

[ZombieHorde]

17. Actions speak louder than words. nt

[Forkboy]

19. I'll believe it when I see it.

And I don't mean that as a knock against Obama per se, because I feel this way about all politicians. Talk is cheap is D.C.

[pundaint]

21. master thespian - he took actions contributing to the situation.

[Indenturedebtor]

23. Damn straight. I was just reading another thread about how 28 drilling contracts have been fast

tracked since the spill... livid huh? Because now it'll be mildly more annoying to bat for the oil companies?

[freddie mertz]

26. I am livid at the administration for failing to lead on this issue.

And believe me, there will be consequences, in so far as I am able.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

27. This is false....

There is moratorium on new leases. Twenty-eight pending leases have gone through environmental review, but will not be released pending a further safety review.

[ima_sinnic]

34. so 27 new permits have NOT been issued since the disaster?

seems the Center for Biological Diversity disagrees with you

http://lecanadian.com/2010/05/10/obama-administration-approves-27-new-offshore-drilling-permits/

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

38. They are distorting the facts....

The Center has opposed Salazar from the time of his nomination. And if you read their convoluted press release closely, you'll see that it's the environmental review that has gone forward. The permits themselves have not been issued pending a safety review, which could (and in all likelihood, will, send the process back to Square One).

[phleshdef]

39. Those are environmental reviews and the result of those reviews could shut down any notion...

...of drilling in the areas being reviewed. Considering current circumstances, I wouldn't be surprised if that is what happens.

[phleshdef]

37. Yea, because allowing exploration of the Atlantic coastline caused the spill in the gulf.

Obama was wrong to believe that offshore drilling didn't come with risks. But there is not one single action carried out by his administration that you can trace to this particular incident, not one. BP was drilling in this area long before Obama was even a candidate for President. Regulations and oversight were laxed way before Obama was even a candidate for President. You most certainly can judge the actions that he takes now, in response to the disaster and in response to future drilling proposals. But you can not make any honest claim that his actions contributed to this situation. Thats nothing more than a petty lie and I think you probably even know that.

[pundaint]

41. He continued the weak-assed epa policies and too much of the staff of his predecessor.

[phleshdef]

43. Its unrealistic to expect ANYONE to have reformed all the potentially dangerous policies by now.

[pundaint]

45. If he has taken reform action, I apologize for missing it. I still see the polluters and despoilers

getting the first consideration.

[Name removed]

42. Deleted message

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

[freddie mertz]

25. Does that mean he will be cutting a radio spot for them next week?

Seriously.

[ima_sinnic]

31. so? until he sticks his neck out and does something bold for a change,

it's all full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

[polichick]

35. Good - I'm beyond livid at BP, big oil, Halliburton, ignorant voters, Obama's MMS...

...and Obama himself for cynically opening up more offshore drilling and lying to us about its safety.

[Enrique]

36. message: he cares

:eyes:

[amborin]

40. words.....but how about backing them up w/ actions, to show sincerity?

[NJmaverick]

44. K & R!

[Prism]

47. He's also irked by inequality, miffed by torture, steamed by war, and piqued by Wall Street

He's a man of a thousand emotions.

I think he's just mad because they humiliated him by screwing up right after he announced more drilling. I think the President is remarkably thin-skinned in private.

[ima_sinnic]

53. don't forget also, a "fierce advocate" of LGBT rights

and about a million other meaningless but eloquent, passionate-sounding phrases.

[brentspeak]

49. I'm sure BP is very scared at Obama's carefully-orchestrated "outrage"

Presidents like TR and Truman did more than simply "get livid".

[Rosa Luxemburg]

50. who knows maybe Rush and Glen Beck sabotaged the rig?

I mean, who goes round doing this sort of thing?

[TripleKatPad]

51. I'm not holding my breath

I understand that there is much we don't know about how things really run behind the scenes.

But, oh how I wish PO would just come out and tell us that once he attained office, he found out he really has little say in how the corporations dictate that things must be.

A little truth might slap us upside the head.

Never mind. I'm about to turn a year older at midnight and am waxing poetic.

[Mojorabbit]

52. A happy Birthday to you

may it be filled with your heart's desires.