Whatever happened to the notion of erring on the side of safety? It seems too many decisions are being made based on on a best case scenario such as the initial response based on a 1,000-5,000 Bll/day minimum range estimate.

If justice be served the Gulf will not be the only victim but so will the blind trust so many have in unchecked capitalist greed. (Although I may be wrong about that given the rebounding profitability of large corporations without a corresponding increase in employment as they take advantage of the dire labor market.)

This disaster is an object lesson for those who say, "Things just can't get any worse," or, "I've seen it all!"

Mindless posters, incapable of grasping facts, continue to lay this at the feet of President Obama. One particularly empty-headed writer even blames him for the poorly-written headline of the article.

It does not take a nimble mind to twist the facts of this incident to such an extent that the blame winds up on the front porch of the White House. It requires no more than a hate-filled heart and an evil little mind.

All the available information, much of it downplayed and spun by BP, yields a virtually indisputable conclusion. BP owns this mess, and Transocean and Halliburton share in the creation. None of those companies are headquartered in the United States.

The greatest ecological disaster in the history of our country is a product of greed, stupidity, and incompetence. Yet, this blackest of clouds has a silver lining. There should be no doubt that we must pursue alternate energy sources. Our addiction to fossil fuels is killing us, and our planet's flora and fauna.

I know I am not alone when I ask how anyone can deny this obvious truth. That more than anything is what puts this horror in the "Now, I've seen it all," category. Not the disaster; the fact that people still put dollars and cents ahead of their own survival.

David Walker, the initial spill may not have been Obama's fault, but even that may be blamed on his regulators not doing their jobs and being too cozy. Yes, it has been that way before he came too, but he has had 18 months to change that and did nothing. Stop blaming past administrations. He is supposed to be in charge now, so take charge.

That debate aside, he has totally mis-handled it since. You have state governors begging to be allowed to do certain things, and the feds forbid them. The administration has repeatedly refused international aid (although the scumbags want to be paid, when we always offer aid for free). Obama has been pathetic really.

Read this first link since it is AMAZING, then go back to your liberal excuse tank.

http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/06/criminal-negligence-barack-obamas-mishandling-of-gulf-spill-caused-oil-to-destroy-coastline/

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/steffy/7043272.html

Others think ecosystems that were already in trouble before the spill are now being pushed toward a brink.

British Petroleum has minimized from the beginning and will continue to do so at the peril of our Planet.

Some of you, without a brain in your head, have blamed our President for a disaster that has nothing to do with him or his party. What have the Republicans contributed in ideas and action?? The government is as broken as the pipeline in the Gulf.

Kevin C:

Your post clearly shows why people like you are so dangerous.

Here's what you wrote: "Stop blaming past administrations." Show me where I blamed a past administration. This is something you conjured our of thin air.

Another quote: "Read this first link since it is AMAZING, then go back to your liberal excuse tank." What is it that makes a recitation of fact, liberal? Facts have neither a liberal or a conservative slant. They are what they are.

What's "AMAZING" is that no amount of factual information can begin to penetrate your dogma-clouded mind.

No one - absolutely no one - on this planet can stop that blowout right now. Point fingers all you wish. It will not alter the fact that a successful end to this disaster is still beyond the reach of ALL mankind.

Pushed to the brink is an understatement. They have now....ultimately been destroyed. Thanks Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, rush Limbaugh, George Bush 1 and 2, Dick Cheney, Micheal Steele, Joe the Plumber, John McCain, Ronald Reagen, Nixon. And the list goes on. As long as my You Know What.

Pump air and Bubble it down at the wellhead. That will add needed oxygen to the ecosystems and help float the Oil. Outlaw the use of dispersants - We need to easily be able to skim and separate. Pump skimmed Oil into super tanks. Pump water off the bottom of those tankers back into the sea. The absorbed oils due to dispersants will just have to be separated with centrifuges or at the refinery. Make BP pay 3 times the going rate for every gallon of recovered Oil.

Fisherman144

"...have blamed our President for a disaster that has nothing to do with him or his party."

Ken Salazar, secretary of the Interior, manages the MMS that was responsible for oversight of off-shore drilling and ensuring that regulations were being observed and enforced. He failed in his responsibilities.

Yes, there is blame for this administration; a lot of blame. If MMS had done their job, that drilling rig would've been shut down long ago. MMS let BP operate with disregard to the rules and regulations that were put in place.

Congress gave big oil responsibility for clean up and govt did not have any resources. This was Cheneys big oil plan-emasculate the regulators who protect us and give everything to big oil. When the President came in all federal regulators had been desimated and morale at a total low-remember the justice dept. I hope for some form of energy policy. I won't get everything I want but it will be a big start as we are fighting big business. Until we change our behavior we won't get bigger change. Take responsibility.

Leiya123:

The right wing Republicans have had only one agenda from 2008 onward, elect a Republican into the white house in 2012. That is why Rush Limbaugh said that he hoped Obama failed to turn the economy around as it would be Obama's failure and that would serve that one agenda. That was in total disregard of all the economic hardship Americans would go through.

Now we have the oil spill being expoited by right wing Republicans for the same agenda while ignoring catastropic blame for BP in the process.

Yes, MMS is to blame for the lack of regulation. And how far back does that non regulation go? Any random accident that Cheney deregulated the oil industry (meetings in 2004 with energy industry executives and the 2005 Energy Bill they wrote) or that the Bush administration was putting unqualified political appointees like "Brownie" - the guy in charge of the FEMA response to Hurricane Katrina - into various agencies?

The ugly truth is that this lack of regulation across agencies has been going on for many years. Remember the MMS scandal during the Bush years in Denver? They uncovered the fact that MMS personnel were getting gifts from the corporations they were regulating, as well as having parties, doing drugs and having sex with them.

Interior Dept. scandal: Sex, drugs, energy deals probed at Denver office (2008):
http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_10428441

So why is it all of a sudden Obama is to blame for what is essentially the same issue Bush did not deal with short of a scandal?

1. Democrats blame Republicans and vice versa so the sheeple's attention will be drawn away from the big money being made by the politicians.

Believe me... Sarah Palin nor Barack Obama could care less about, "the little people."

2. Whats better than 1 exploratory wells tapping into a relatively untouched reservoir of oil? How about 3 wells! If I was a greedy corporation, and BP is one of the worst, and foreign countries and other oil companies were trying to steal my oil, this could be one of the ways I would go.

Get your buddy buddy Obama to put a moratorium on Gulf oil drilling... That is except for your rigs that, "must drill these two relief wells!"

Meanwhile Obama's buddy G. Soros is drilling like a mad cat in Brazil with his company Petrobas and will be poised to control most of the commercial production coming out of South America right at a time when, one would expect, oil energy policy to change here in America!

What a genius move. And you people call Obama an idiot!

mountainmike-1199289

"Yes, MMS is to blame for the lack of regulation. And how far back does that non regulation go?"

I agree with you that past administrations are at fault too. It doesn't negate the fact that both democrats and republicans have steered a 'shoddy' course in pursuing environmental stewardship of our wetlands and other natural resources.

This is a bipartisan problem and not a partisan problem.

Kevin C is obviously one of those people who believes everything he reads on the internet. Pretty sad these people can't think for themselves or even research things they read or consider the source.

Hey Kevin, I got a sure fire way for you to make $20 million just by sending 10 e-mails to your friends. All you have to do is send me $1000 for this secret. No, really, it's true, I read this article on Gateway Pundit...

Guts what is the federal goverment job? What is the president PRIMARY job? Who over see the MMS? Who leased the land to BP to drill? Who approved the deep well drilling? Who inspected the well and when was it done before the explosion? Who refused the help of other countrys for over two months?

Jake, you make too much sense. When is this administration going to take responsibility for governing? It hasn't happened yet, and blaming everything on the previous administration is the only thing Obama has accomplished. but, what the he11, it was obvious from the start that this guy had no experience except for nailing posters on telephone posts.

"I trust everything that BP ever has said and ever will say," is the new mantra of Republicons and Baggers.

The purpose of the Federal Government was/is to protect the United States border! This would include a disaster such as the oil spill as well as immigration and 9/11!

Obama and his administration failed to act/regulate on the oil drilling/spill and contributed to the current mess.

The US Federal Government should have used ALL means necessary to assist in stopping or cleaning up the spill, not played "politics" with this crisis.

The Federal Government is out of control, too big, where one branch knows not what another branch does!

Guts you obviously don't believe anything you see at all! I don't give a @!$%# if obama has no clue on what to do with the gulf but I will tell you what he has been there four f...ing times four. If you find anywhere where it says different then I will have some respect for this man who is taking America down a path we won't get out of.

I am a democrat I hated bush . I am getting seriously close to loathing obama. I almost want to scream when I hear him on the TV anymore. I am not prejudice either.

If this man who so many people have on a pedestal had a freaking clue he would be there way more. Make his wife go there . Make Michelle forget about her damn fashion parade and her obese obsession and make some damn commercials to help the people in the gulf.

How anything at this point could be more important than what is happening in the gulf is beyond me. I wanted Hillary Clinton I am not afraid to say that. I wanted another eight yrs of ignorant bliss with the Clinton's.

I didn't dislike obama but said from day one not enough experience, now I see no experience and no compassion.

I am not empty headed either. I know what is going on. No not everything is Washington's fault but I do not want to see another freaking speech from obama I am tired of him talk talk talking all day but not doing what a president should, He should care for our country and show The people in the gulf they are not alone.

If all of this was to much for him he should not be President. President Clinton shown in adversity Obama can not handle it . How come people can't see he is way over his head.

Obama junkie's stop being starstruck . Stop acting like this titanic is to big to sink . That said I have no respect either for a man who refers to that creep Reverend all the time. He is a black version of a KKK leader , If you don't believe that watch some of his rants and speeches and interviews.

I don't have to go into all the things I think Obama did not do for the gulf. I don't have to read this on the internet I just have to see the lack of any kind of empathy .

To all of you intelligent people If my spelling is wrong f...ing forgive me I am typing fast because of how sick I am of hearing praise for obama. If i didn't know better I would think it is some of his staff paid to come into these forums and kiss his you know what in front of us all. Oh hail the wonderful great Obama who is laughing in our faces.

Uh... can someone define uglier "than we had Hoped " ?? Its a major catastrophe, and the Government will not allow any photos from Anderson Cooper of CNN or anyone else, to show the vast magnitude of dead animals. It's game-over for the beaches buck-o ! Flipper is a gonner along with the whales and manatees... But individuals will eventually get photos out, even if the press is not permitted. It is now a $40,000 fine for a reporter to provide accurate coverage, but sooner or later they will prevail. Sooner or later the public will get to see just how bad it really is. There is a LOT more to this than just dirty sand. Fish and Birds are being bagged up and hauled off as fast as clean up crews can bag them. But we're "protected" against seeing horrible things on TV.

Oh and a side note about That sick Reverend Obama loves to reference to is a mockery to anyone who loves God.

Guts what is the federal goverment job? What is the president PRIMARY job? Who over see the MMS? Who leased the land to BP to drill? Who approved the deep well drilling? Who inspected the well and when was it done before the explosion? Who refused the help of other countrys for over two months?

1) Federal Goverment job is to protect our country. 2) President PRIMARY job is to protect our shores. 3) Federal Goverment over see the MMS. 4) Federal Goverment leased the land to BP. 5) MMS inspected the well 10 days before the inspection (who works under the federal goverment). 6) Obama who primary job as president to in ALL his power is to protect our borders refused in writing assistance from 13 diffrent countrys.

Since the blame game is going on, check this out.

http://jonathanturley.org/2010/05/06/obama-administration-exempted-bp-from-environmenal-impact-statement/

Cherie - can't let your statement pass. In 1994 Bill Clinton signed legistlation permitting the Gulf drilling in the deep waters. One of the provisions was the US Government purchasing of Oil Booms, Skimmers, and frozen oil-eating microbes to deploy in the event of a major oil spill. It took investigators 4 weeks to locate the equipment and supplies in Maine warehouses. Obama doesn't seem to know they exist after over 2 months and the stuff is still there even though Gov. Jindal keeps asking for it through all government channels.

The ONLY provision Obama has permitted is the oil burn-off provision. That provision gave the guidelines for a burn off, which were met within 5 days but not approved by the administration 4 or 5 weeks when oil was already beginning to reach shore. This is far to late to significantly limit environmental damage. The scale of this disaster has been poorly handled by the administration. This can only be from ignorance, fear of making decisions, or manipulating the situation for future gain. None of these alternatives are acceptable, and the latter is hideous.

Base on the information gathered and coming to light, this well had over 5000 psi in oressure, far greater than normally experienced. Stopping it was not possible without relief Wells and and unlikely to have been prevented unless the most cautiously over-designed materials and methods are used. Instead of banning deep drilling and injuring our economy and energy dependancy more, simply require the most stringent materials and methods be used until the investigation of cause and effect are actually known by investigators.

Here is a 60 minutes interview with the electronics engineer from the BP oil rig, the Deepwater Horizon. He was one of the crew members that escaped the explosion. If you want to comment on the oil spill, this is a must see video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0onXmlFgF8I&feature=related

For me, it reinforced my impression that BP was going into its deepest ocean drilling ever with the same old, same old attitude of cutting corners and cutting costs. In short, reckless endangerment of the Gulf.

"Uglier than hoped" Does that mean they hoped it would be ugly and it turned out uglier?

KDO858: I was struck by that headline too! It reminded me of the comments recorded of Binladen about the bombing of the WTC's when he said, "It was more than I ever hoped for."

I thought the use of the word "hope" was to indicate a desirable outcome.

If things are unglier than what the writer (thought) they would be, then maybe the writer's statment should have reflected his thoughts instead of his hope--or did he say what he meant?

"Yes, we should not blame our President". Blame BP for the lack of leadership--that is one good excuse.

Well, where is he now?---out golfing, enjoying the long 4th of July weekend. Where is he?. What has he really done to comfort those in the states that have been affected or will be affected by this raging oil spill in all the Gulf States? He no longer goes there, but did do it because of the pressure put upon him, because of his negligence, for not taking this seriously in the first place.

He has had over 300 offers for skimmers, and other equipment from other countries and here. O is now stammering over 9 companies that want to help. When will he take the 9 offers. Who will he choose to lead this operation? There are experts out there. Why didn't he form a team of everyday engineers/scientists outside of his realm including people who work for Corporations, specializing in this area to come together right away and make other suggestions. Obama is not a good delegater when there are huge problems.

Inexperienced and disinterested in the American public in all disasters since taking office. Oh that's right, he's working on getting the Unemployed back to work.

The Great Magnitude of the Oil Spill, is comparable to a War, an Enviromental War. We need a "General".

The Environment, beaches, loss of jobs, and tourism, along with the toxic hazard is going to be with us for many decades.

Too little, too late. We need a strong leader as mentioned before who can think out many possibilities, not just how he will win the next election by campaigning on a 24 basis.

America Today-Anthony

Don't worry about BP. They will be wrangled/handled/and hung out to dry. All after being skinned alive. It is coming. The kicker is .....the big three Communisms are about to be hit. And hit really, really hard. America is about to flex. It will pinch BP's head off in the process. Thirteen nations vowing support!? Says it's time has come for the Great Bear to awaken from it's slumber. And has it ever.

Not since Hitler has America built up this much support and military in so many directions. With a full tank of gas and a full head of steam. You'll see.

I'm about to drop some nice Articles on this site. I'm just putting my researched ducks in line!

Boooooy Hoooowdie!

I love how people attack me. So you are saying Obama IS ACTUALLY DOING a great job? The proof is in the pudding, and he has failed miserably in the Gulf.

#1.27

It means they knew all a long what a catastrophe they had created. They "hoped" that it could be remedied before the rest of the World found out.

As #1.26 said I saw the 60 minutes interview.

B P knew the consequences of their Drilling without the proper precautions and now it it too late for the Gulf of Mexico.

They have irreversibly destroyed that region.

Greed of Patriotism rules the day.

Greed over respect for LIFE rules the day.

Greed over common sense rules the day.

Welcome to the 21st Century!

...and now for the good news as BP cries 'poverty!'

Ashla,

Obama wasn't my first choice either (though no way in hell was I going with Bat@!$%# Insane McCain), and I hated Bush as well. But I did not blame bush for Katrina (i felt it was more of an act of god back then, and if anything went wrong, it was fault of the system on a whole) and I'm not going to blame Obama for this mess either. This was the negligence of a company, BP. I still believe that if the US government stepped in on day one, the biggest complaint you would hear would be ab out how the government, ONCE AGAIN, is cleaning up another corporate mess, and this would have followed on the heels of promoting offshore drilling (more appeasement of the far right), and public sentiments against both the auto industry bailouts and Wall Street's LOVELY display of begging for money and then turning around and raping the general public in the form of fees and charges to pay back the loans just in time to pay out huge CEO bonuses. The administration did what it figured the people would want, which is to hold the corporation responsible, well, responsible.

Of course, BP doesn't seem to know what the hell to do (nobody really does, because this sort of depth of drilling is beyond anything we've handled, and quite frankly, it SHOULD be a sign to stop this sort of drilling practices, but @!$%# all if that will ever happen), and quite frankly, I don't think they want to consider anything that might completely destroy any further attempts to drill that particular spot at a later time for the oil that remains. Additionally, they're already looking to minimize the costs of the endeavor to themselves by asking other oil companies for financial assistance (I remember a few days ago the numbers quited on MSNBC were about $400 million of the 1 bil estimated) and are considering a strategic merger that might turn this spill into something profitable for them.

And this is just BP. There's also the congressmen that have said we should apologize to BP, the judges that have turned over the moratorium whilst having oil stocks, and the senators whom seem to be blocking any discussion of trying to investigate this matter further.

Nowhere in there do I see "President Obama" as one of the people to direct my fury righteously towards. In fact, most of his ideas are fine, albeit NOT my ideal positions. I'm angry at the extension of the PATRIOT act, and the ability for corporations to contribute in upcoming elections. I'm angry at the health care situation, not because I don't want health care, but because it allows profiteering by insurance companies that should be out of business (cutting out the middle man). But both political parties are guilty here, and that's the elected senators and representatives of the legislative branch, NOT the executive. (the corporate rights bit actually is Judicial, and only in the last month or so with Kagan put on the Supreme Court have we had new judge instated since the Bush years)

I'm angry that those with medicare and medicaid and still somehow denounce universal health care as socialist and talk of death camps. I'm angry at people who want to get rid of unemployment and welfare, who'd rather see entire families dying in the streets come winter when their life support runs out and with no homes, no shelter...

But for the president, I can only complain about the fact that he seems incredibly impotent when we seriously need some action, and that he isn't as progressive as I want him to be (Hear that, NOT PROGRESSIVE ENOUGH!)

In general I'm VERY pissed off at the hypocritical people in the news today that have no empathy, a near psychopathic bent on getting their way, and have absolutely no understanding or care of CONSEQUENCES, be it the consequences of their actions, or the consequences of their judgements.

And throughout all of this, I've tried very rationally to point to facts and figures, to keep a level of decorum by not calling names, not using death threats (like the oft said, "you @!$%#ing liberals are gonna be sorry come November" or "damned socialist/fascist/nazi/communist progressive!!!") though, yes, "my side" (though I speak primarily only for myself) has often fallen as far as to call them "teabaggers" (I still prefer the more neutral "tea partiers") and far worse...

I'm getting tired of it.

I think hope should be changed, I seriously doubt anyone hoped this disaster would be bigger and uglier.

Good post, Bob/ refreshingly so.

Thankyou for the post bob, I have made a pact to myself for a week at least not to watch the news lol I am kind of at the breaking point Just came in here to read a little,

I have decided to stop complaining and blaming. I appreciate who ever posted what president clinton had to say so I could kind of come back to earth a little.

I am a disabled woman not old though, I have a one yr old son I never have been worried like this well only during 911 my other kids where in school and I had to pull myself away finally after a month of news watching .

I couldnt do anything That is what frustrates me so much I thought anyway, It is not much but I am almost finished a website for the people in the gulf to show people how to help or finding links to places to help. I also email daily and send snail mail to celebrities. I understand most probably don't read them but I am trying. I wish there would be more celebrity presence at the gulf, Jimi Buffet had a benefit concert for the people there and helped what seemed like a doomed July fourth weekend for the people who own businesses.

I know I am only one person and maybe I fool myself thinking taking time out of my day will help but I have to HAVE TO stop complaining and do something anything for the better .

Thankyou for replying to my post

dan: I don't know where you've been but BP did in fact take responsibility for this spill.

May. 03, 2010 BP takes responsibility for oil spill, highlights
VENICE, La. -- The giant British oil company BP Plc., whose deep-water well is gushing thousands of gallons of oil daily into the Gulf of Mexico, said Monday that it was "absolutely responsible" for stopping the leak, cleaning up the oil on the water's surface and any resulting environmental damage.

"This is not our accident, but it's our responsibility," said BP's CEO, Tony Hayward. "And where there are legitimate claims for business interruption, we will make them good."

http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/05/03/2161106/bp-takes-responsibility-for-oil.html

Perhaps why things are not being done are because of this government and its various agencies who are calling the shots.

May 25, 2010
"The government is in charge. We have been in charge and we'll continue to be in charge," Carol Browner, director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy, said on CBS' "The Early Show."

May 27, 2010
"BP is operating at our direction," Obama said. "Every key decision and action they take must be approved by us in advance." He added that if the Coast Guard commander orders BP to do something, "they are legally bound to do it."

Sanity and responsibility are the purpose of our government. They will hold BP's feet to the fire until this mess is cleaned up.

If anyone can do better....please step forward.

Thanks you!

Fisherman,

What color is the sky in your world? Multitudes of ideas have been presented in clean up efforts only to be shot down by the same government beaurocrats you tout as being responsible for sanity. Improvised skimmers in the marshes were shut down due to minor maritime infractions (fire extinguisher/life vests). It seems our "responsible for sanity" government is hell-bent on turning this whole catastrophe into legislation deigned to curb our addiction to oil via cap and trade.

I lived in Europe for several years, so I have a perspective on paying $4 + for gasoline. Europe has a far denser population with no wide open spaces like we have here in the US. Their energy policies would drive prices through the roof for all goods and services shipped.

Back to our story, this disaster will make Katrina look like a minor traffic accident in comparison when all is said and done. My heart goes out to the people of the gulf coast whose lives will be changed dramatically for years to come.

Who knows what kind of rules or regulations Obama put on BP for this Oil Spill. There are a lot of politics that go on behind closed doors.

It isn't just BP who is at fault. Many Companies, and Corporations are involved in putting the Oil Rig together. It was a combined formation of company people. Hayward from Britain is gone from the company, do we see any improvement with the next choice of CEO? Haven't heard from this person yet.

It in the end it is our President's responsibility. It is here in the US.(Government's choice). This is not O's priority; plain and simple.

It's the Blame game again. That's the easy way out.

My heart goes out to the poor people living the slums of the world because they will be he true victims of this disaster. When the food supply runs short, the available food will be sold on the international market to the people that can afford to pay the most for it. So, America will still feed it's people while shorting the poorer countries even more than they had been doing in the past. The poor get poorer and the rich still live on. They don't care about the pollution they create or the little people they harm. For proof of this claim; look at the way we treat the Niger Delta. Nobody's demanding Standard Oil or Exxon to pay for the damage in those areas. This planets getting smaller and smaller. What affects one effects all, but not equally yet. As the prices increase, less and less people can afford it. What a great solution to or population issues. Many believe there is a population problem on this planet, but I contend there is a distribution problem created by capitalism. The resources from the south have been exploited by the north. This disaster will make life even harder for the south. Americans are great whiners but really don't care about anything but themselves. Too bad we can go swimming at our favorite swimming hole. WAH, WAH, WAH. Where you been. Oil companies have done this all around the globe and you said nothing.

Glass houses--enough said.

Glass houses? Are you high? Charles is right, this lack of safety and ineffective emergency plan are inexcusable. Especially when you consider how much money and evil influence has been spent preventing the development of clean and sustainable energy options. People are going to have to die. There's no doubt...this can never happen again.

It should not be just BP going to the gallows. After all this administration's agency gave BP waivers on safety issues on April 6.

Some of you are missing the point. Every single oil company with rigs in the gulf basically have the same emergency contingency plans: they don't have any. Years of relaxed regulations on this industry to allow them to maximize profits have resulted in this disaster. It is naive to think that an industry, any industry, can self regulate it's actions in a responsible manner. The fact that the deepwater horizon was the first well to experience a catastrophic blowout of this magnitude should not be considered as a "great track record". Instead it should be considered just the first of potentially thousands of wells around our coastlines that could experience the same fate and no way for the owners to shut them off. We need oil today, but we should be moving to an oil free future for tomorrow. Not for political expediency, but for the sake of the planet and all living things.

charles- nice language, and suggestion of assault- are you aware these posts are monitored?

Joan.

He said they should be taken to the gallows and hung.

I agree.

BP is being investigated for criminal negligence. I believe the facts are overwhelming and BP has no chance in court.

They will settle and pay the government a fine.

Personally I think those rich SOb's that signed off on the relaxed standards should be taken to the gallows..... and hung.

Former Pres Bill Clinton has it right as far as priorities go.

How wrong did our current administration get it by going straight to number 4?

Most of the posts here are also focused on the least important issue at hand.

And tax dangerous, gas guzzling SUVs out of existence!

Russ, how many cocktails have you had. The only thing you can ever bring up is Obama, get a brain. Did you graduate from high school?

Gave yourself a vote Russ?

If socialism is the opposite of BP's behavior then hooray for socialism.

Fox has polluted intellect of some of the American public just as grossly as BP has polluted our world!

Republicans have turned me into a Progressive because of their off-the-deep-end-McCarthy-like hysteria. I am not happy, however, with our President's lack of honest communication with us about what is going on with The BP Deepwater Blowout and Oil Spill and Dispersants and now, Fires. I may not have a party or a country before this is over.

BP has spread more Sorrow than oil. I understand that our government needs to make sure BP is able to pay, but much of the BP Destruction is priceless.

Yeah, Russ, it is all an Obama conspiracy to push the Left's agenda. It is all so clear to me now, thanks to your insight...clear as the water rolling upon the beaches in Louisiana.

I wish we had Bush and the GOP back in power. I mean, what this problem needs is less regulation, less oversight and less government interference. The free market can solve this problem because the unrestricted free market can solve any problems.

Bush was an oil man. He would know that the solution is to drill more and more and more so that the combined volumes of all the resultant leaks would convert the Gulf into a vast oil reservoir. Then good Americans could just drive their pickups and SUVs down the boat ramps and fill 'er up at the shore. I see a whole new cottage industry of home oil distillary kits - more free market in action!

Shame on Obama. This really is all his fault for not being president during the years 2001-2009, when all of the oil industry regs were stripped down to nothing, allowing for such a disaster. Had he been prez' then, and doing his job as he should have been, none of this would have happened. He will go down as our worst president for having not become president eight years sooner.

Chris, give me a break. The only thing our president has done is blame Bush for every problem our country faces and now you want to rewrite history by saying the Messiah would have been a cure all for our country. Bush was no bargain but I honestly don't see how Obama would have fared better. If he is that great, why can't he solve the problems our country is facing today? A true leader and winner would take control and right the ship. Unfortunately, he is a whiner, not a winner.

dorrit: You like so many others always start your post complaining about Fox News and I'm just wondering why you do this. It is obvious that most of you so called "progressives" spend a great deal of your watching time watching Fox. Or, you would not be so well versed on what they are saying. It is obvious that your slam of Fox is directed at the people who post views you do not like. Unless you have some magic box that tells you that they are watching Fox like you I would leave those comments out.

I started watching CNN when it was the first 24 hour cable news network. I have not seen any reason not to watch it since. I do not watch all of the programing because I do not always agree with some of the propaganda being put out by them either. CNN, MSNBC, Fox News and all other television media put their own slant on every story.

It does not mean one is any worse than the other. And for you and others to try and make yourself sound superior to others who watch News Agencies that you condemn only shows your own ignorance. Does watching CNN make me a liberal? Nope. But if I started my post putting them up as a boogie man would not only make me look stupid but hypocritical as well. Bottom line if you dont like Fox News dont watch it then complain about it. Move to a station more to your liking.

I am not a Democrat because I do tend think for myself. I am not a Republican because I learned to read for myself.

Leadership is what's needed here. Pointing the finger with the blame game will solve zero problems in the long run.

BTW, I'm a Republican but former President Clinton has it right on the priorities which seem to elude our current administration.

Plug the leak. Keep the oil from the shore. Clean up/minimize the damage. Then hold those responsible to account.

I agree placing blame on who did this is counter productive. If we want to blame anyone all we need to do is go to the bathroom and look in our mirror. I have no doubt Most on this board are the same people complaining about how much oil costs. I do I admit I am dependent on oil.

It don't matter who is to blame at this point. The blame now lie's in who is not doing there best to fix the problem. Get it done Then argue about whose fault it is.

Ashia, in respose to your earlier comment. No, I don't think you are crazy, but you are seriously confused. SERIOUSLY CONFUSED. If you fail to respect the efforts of the President of this country, as he tries to get us out of the problems others have gotten us in, and then you fail to recognize the serverity of the life-threatening problems others have caused America because of their greed, then you to show us your real values for America.

We are dealing with major effects from strategic causes that took place a few years before the election of 2008.

Sorry Larry, I disagree. This happened on Obama's watch. And "watch" is all he has done for 3 months. No wait...he it taking over BP's WEB SITE. That will show everyone how tough he is.

I'm laughing.

Obama elected President in 2008. Here it is, 2010, and he still is blaming George W. Bush for all the inadequacies O can't handle as President.

Why did he want to be President?. It is the incoming President who makes the promises to "fix" the bad left from the last President, without pointing out every time in a speech it was Bush's fault, or some other President's blame. Use this time, and get to work; that is YOUR job, not any past President.

Why do we have elections?

Very childish, and unscholarly, complimented by NO leadership---

Mr Morris, please refer to post #16.3

Larry I may be confused but not about Obama. I don't expect him to know what to do But I do expect the president to try to bring the people in america together and show compassion for the people in the gulf instead of saying the gulf will better after this is over. That shows how confused this man is.

I disagree with alot he does but this is about the highest amount of ignorance I can not see anything being more important than helping these people. I am not a bush junkie either so don't call me that I do not blame anyone for this problem Now I only want to see the people in the gulf represented. I live in Pa . Many in my city are out of touch with what is going on. More people worried about Haiti(not a bad thing) but I think our priorities in this country are very messed up. I say this alot but why did Michelle Obama make commercials for people to send money to Haiti and not make commercials for people in the gulf.

I am confused. I am confused why our president has not tried to bring america together with this.

The only way to do deep ocean drilling is extreme caution with an emphasis on prevention. What we got was BP cutting corners and costs under absolutely no regulation from regulators.

Canada requires a safety back up well be established along side a primary well for deep ocean drilling. America needs to adopt that requirement for deep ocean drilling. The oil industry has generally gone into deep ocean drilling with normal ocean depth Blow Out Preventers with the assumption that they will work under the intense pressure and cold of the deep ocean. The BOP failed to work in this situation, and now we know there were research tests warning of the BOP failure under deep ocean conditions. A specialized deep ocean Blow Out Preventer may need to be developed.

Congressional investigations uncovered an eleven month history of methane pressure issues with this oil well. This included previous near disasters. This is what slowed down the progress on completing the oil well. Then it came down to a BP executive decision to use salt water in the system to balance against the upward methane pressure. The oil rig manager had an "altercation" with the BP executive because ocean floor mud is the industry standard for balancing pressure because it is heavier. However, heavier means it takes longer, and it is therefore a more expensive operation. The oil rig at that point was more than a month over the deadline to be producing oil and way over budget. It can only be assumed that the oil crew wanted to get paid and went along with the BP executive's decision.

The BP executive left the oil rig and a huge methane bubble reached the surface to cause the explosion that killed eleven men.

The extra issue is we need to have some measure of methane pressure from an oil reserve to use as a safety standard. For example, if an oil rig is getting 10 percent pressure within the pipeline, it is within normal standards. If it is getting 30 plus percent pressure, an emergency response to shut down is required by law. I have to question whether or not this specific oil reserve just isn't a methane beast with too much pressure for one oil rig to handle.

How has the Republican/GOP/Right-Wing/Christian/Terrorist/Clans Men been instrumental in any aspect of limiting, reducing or minimizing the possibility of disasters like this through some mechanism via the following topics:

1. Industry Regulatory Oversight.?
2. Disaster Preparedness.?
3. Legislation pertaining to Oil and Gas Industry Practices.?
4. Environmentally Sound Practices.?
5. Governance intended to protect the Public Interest.?
6. Promoted or advanced science initiatives such as EPA, CDC, EIA, etc.?
7. Received Nobel Recognition?

Can you get more Liberal than this? Clansmen? Puhlease!

1. Both parties are to blame for lack of oversight.

2. Contingenices were in place but not used.

3. Laws and standards were in place but not inforced.

4. The EPA has more legislation now than ever. Enforcement always the issue.

5. see 1-4.

6. That makes no sense. Government beaurocracies don't promote initiatives, they supress them.

7. What the hell does that have to do with the subject matter? President Obama was in office several days when nominated for the prize. That in itself makes Nobel "Recognition" a joke.

This all points to huge failures in what? Yes, the government.

The oil industry has generally gone into deep ocean drilling with normal ocean depth Blow Out Preventers with the assumption that they will work under the intense pressure and cold of the deep ocean. The BOP failed to work in this situation, and now we know there were research tests warning of the BOP failure under deep ocean conditions. A specialized deep ocean Blow Out Preventer may need to be developed.

Could you please show me a reliable source where this info came from, I tried searching, but could not find anything. To me, that assumption does not make sense. In general in the gulf, the drilling is either done in really shallow water (5-300 ft) or really deepwater (2000-7000 ft) On the shallow water rigs on the continental shelf, the BOP's are mounted on the surface above the water. This means that for the deepwater rigs with subsurface BOP's, they would be a completely different design. It is possible that some of the components, such as the rams may be similar, but I would like to see more info about this.

The oil rig manager had an "altercation" with the BP executive because ocean floor mud is the industry standard for balancing pressure because it is heavier. However, heavier means it takes longer, and it is therefore a more expensive operation.

This is not exactly true the way you explained this. The well would have already had oil based mud in the borehole from the drilling process. This oil would have most likely been a synthetic oil based mud, not an ocean floor mud. So in order to displace the well from the oil based mud to seawater would have actually been an additional operation for the rig at this point in time. I still have not heard whether BP was displacing the whole well, or just the riser to seawater. It is a common practice to displace the riser, otherwise the riser pipe could never be unlatched and disassembled without spilling the entire risers volume of oil based mud into the gulf.

The extra issue is we need to have some measure of methane pressure from an oil reserve to use as a safety standard. For example, if an oil rig is getting 10 percent pressure within the pipeline, it is within normal standards. If it is getting 30 plus percent pressure, an emergency response to shut down is required by law.

The percentage of methane really does not have any indication of being safe or unsafe. There are a tremendous number of natural gas wells in this country that are exclusively gas, but that does not make them unsafe. The pressure of the gas is much more important than the quantity of the gas.

I heard on the news last night that there is natural gas coming up from the ocean along with the oil. That explains the flames.They are burning off as much as they can. Even so it's highly toxic. I can't help think that this was an attack on our country. All drilling along our shores are under a mandate to shut down sounds similiar to when the airports were shut down back during the New York trade center disaster. We were hit hard.

we get it wayne... after thinking long and hard you came up with obummer so now you post it repeatedly in an attempt to make it stick. It sucks that half wits get full votes.

Rae- how the hell did Obama leave this in the Gulf? Last I knew it was the oil industry. You may not like Obama or have voted for him but don't blame him. Not his fault. Sorry. Do you think Bush would have done better? Perhaps Mr. Obama can consult with him on a way to plug this leak up? Gimme a break.

this is not obama's fault, but he and his cronies will play it like a fiddle for every inch it futhers thier cause to promote bigger goverment. a good president would have interviewed bp personally and when it was obviouse in the beginning that they had no answers, the pres should have declared a national emergency and had the army corp of engineers plugging the well the next day, the navy and marines and the rest of the army doing the clean up and this would have all alreaddy been over about two weeks after it started.

which is a bigger and more immeadiate threat? the gulf oil spill or afganistan? use our military to stop the leak and save the gulf. then just send bp the bill.

yes because the people who know the most about operations like this are in the army corp of engineers... the quality of their work was demontrated in the gulf a few years ago when levees came crashing down. They couldn't pile dirt effectively enough around New Orleans but I'm sure they know much more about controlling oil wells under a mile of water.

Rae- before you are criticized about obama, he is the one who said"we are in charge" everything will be run past us, and with the multiple agencies involved has lost precious time.

AND when are The People going to act in an intelligent, civilized, and mature manner and begin making efforts to use less energy, less gas? When are we going to demand that the seat of the heaviest US energy consumption, Industry, make efforts not just to save, but to produce their own energy? We the People support the very companies that are becoming our destruction and it seems that we have no will to make changes. It is really not a Democrat or Republican issue - is is an issue of civilization and our planet. It seems that Big Business could care less about the quality of life on Earth and more for "Whoever dies with the most toys wins" without any comprehension that whoever dies with the most toys is DEAD!

Then tell me how in the world we suppose begin making efforts to use less energy and less gas genius?

Do you want people to pay premiums for overpriced hybrid cars when regular old cars have just as good mpg?

Do you want us to staple solar panels on the roof of our houses? Good luck with that when your homeowners association will shoot that down for reasons for "it will affect the housing values".

Let me guess........ donate to the Gulf spill cause? Why in the hell should I even "donate" my hard earned dollars for something I didn't do. Last time I checked, BP posted Billions in profits last year. I only maked measly 27k last year. Do the math.

Not everyone in this recession can easily buy overpriced hybrids, eat overpriced "organic" bs, overpriced "green" label bs products nor volunteer for cleanup.

When companies continue to pay Americans unlivable minimum wages, you still expect them to go "green". No, they buy the cheapest products available.

I'd reccomend nails... or maybe screws. I don't think staples are gonna work on solar panels. Germany was one of the few countries that saw slow economic growth when everybody elses tanked in large part due to their massive investment in the production of green energy sources. It needs to be a national priority

had-enough-

please refer to post #16.3

I second Jimi's post. Poor choice of words......but one gets the idea from reading the article.

Jimi M: I agree with you. I must admit when I read the headline I had to scratch my head a bit. I have to wonder were they "hoping for really, really bad but, not this really, really, really bad." One has to wonder just what education our journalist are getting these days.

Jerry the journalists are getting a partisan leftwing education only. I hesitate calling them "journalists" anymore.

I don't think so CarboN. During my time in Germany, I met several members of Die Gruenen (Green Party). They are a bunch of environment/socialist extremists bent on destoying wealth. You want double our current unemployment? By all means vote Green.

You want a conspiracy theory or a blame game?

Look here:

http://views.washingtonpost.com/climate-change/post-carbon/2010/05/buchanan_demands_probe_of_bps_nepa_waiver.html

Spot on, Ted!

Ted, Obama is perplexed about the real world. That is the problem. The only thing he isn't perplexed about is "community activism".

drilling on land and in waters much less than one mile deep would help. Gov.Palin is right, it's where you drill that makes it a sound decision.

Never undersood the lefts hate of Palin, never will

Each President is just one man. He does the best that he can. Obama is just of a long line of men trying to lead a country. Obama did not explode the oil rig or punch a hole in the Gulf floor. He is a clueless as everybody else as to how to fix it. This article shows just how baffling this problem is. Great minds can't even tell how great this catastrophe really is, so do you expect one man to, a man who doesn't have a degree in oil engineering or in anything related to oil?

To all of you Obama dishers, what do you think John McCain would be doing right now? Duh. He is only one man also. He doesn't have a degree in anything related to oil. He'd probably be in the same mess, but we will never know will we?

http://views.washingtonpost.com/climate-change/post-carbon/2010/05/buchanan_demands_probe_of_bps_nepa_waiver.html

No will for the development and use alternative energy sources by some of the population is also risky business! What our children and future generations will have to pay for this is far greater than all the national debts of the world combined!

We need to care for the only inhabitable planet in our solar system: Earth!

Wayne- first normal post, as well as reducing it to logic people posting here would understand

Spilling a glass of milk is spilling a limited quantity, easy to mop up. This oil still hasn't stopped spilling. How does on go mop up something that is still spilling? It would be a never ending job and a frustrating one as well.

Milk is not toxic and does not cause Destruction. Oil is not something that can be cleaned up like milk. What was that about people who post here?

And that "drill baby drill" shrill was never uttered! Just like Joe Plumber never had a license.

dorrit

Milk is not toxic and does not cause Destruction.

Tell that to the Obama administration, which has recently classified (per http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/06/epa_classifies_milk_as_oil_for.html)

milk as oil because it contains a percentage of animal fat, which is a non-petroleum oil.

And because they decided to categorize milk spills as toxic, they plan to require (per http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/2010/06/25/epa-on-guard-against-spills)

farmers to build extra storage tanks and form emergency spill plans….

Wonder what the new penalties will be for those who allow their kids to spill that newly-categorized toxic milk in their yards...

Corie-

This is from your first link:

"Milk is wholesome in a child's body. It is devastating in a waterway," Miller said. "The fact that it's biodegradable is irrelevant if people die as a result of cryptosporidium, beaches close for E. coli and fish are killed."

...sorry, but your 2nd link is to Cato @ Liberty which takes half truths and twists them to make their wingnut points...you need to provide a more credible and middle-road reference than that - especially about milk!

you are relying on people not checking your "facts" and that doesn't fly.

you are relying on people not checking your "facts" and that doesn't fly.

That's funny - the first link I gave shows 2 sides of the story. It says Miller, from the Sierra Club, claims spilled milk can kill people and fish and close beaches, and she adds that

agricultural pollution probably is the nation's most severe chronic problem when it comes to water pollution.

And it states a senator claims

"The federal Clean Water Act requirements were meant to protect the environment from petroleum-based oils, not milk," he said. "I think it is an example of federal government gone amuck."

I had read pretty much the same thing on the top 23 sites that Google listed when I searched for EPA milk oil.

The EPA has classified milk, even pasteurized drinking milk that is deemed safe for kids to drink, as

hazardous waste; in the same category as oil.

(according to a Northern Michigan newscast, which can be viewed at http://www.9and10news.com/category/story/?id=233147&cid=1)

"Milk is wholesome in a child's body. It is devastating in a waterway," Miller said. "The fact that it's biodegradable is irrelevant if people die as a result of cryptosporidium, beaches close for E. coli and fish are killed."

Shall we at least wait until they pay more $$$? Otherwise the taxpayers will have to pay for it all.

Don't forget, We the People have responsibilities, too. We need to care for and take care of our environment and our interest more than we need to react to the failures of monied interests.

dorrit, would you please give examples of how you are leading in taking care of this environment. It is obvious you watch T.V., use electricity and probably drive a automobile powered by petroleum by products. You keep clamoring for more responsibility for the environment so I would like to see what your are doing and what your proposals are.

Mr Morris,

Where do I start? We use electricity in our home like we use water: with much respect and a spirit of thankfulness.We are saving up for our own small windmill. We plan when we will use our vehicles and how we use them. Our errands are always run in a circle, from home and ending up at home with no backtracking or crossing our tracks. It is called efficiency and really caring about the only planet we have. It is called paying attention to what you do and the effects of your wake. I use a vinegar/ammonia formula for cleaning supplies - everything in glass jars. I run the dishwasher and the washing machine only when full and my dryer is a retractable clothes line outside in the fresh air. I have an organic garden. We used passive solar construction for our superinsulated home, half in the sun and half in the shade. We do not use central air, but we do use our windows and ceiling fans - if cold in the winter, we dress in layers rather than turn up the heat. We do not buy clothes or anything else that we do not need - not having advertising in our faces all day makes it very easy to save money. We have not had TV in years. Neflix with Roku and the computer take us from lectures at Yale to any news local news source in any part of our country and keeps us reading the true journalists in our day and time - not the entertainment and political media that some follow like blind sheep. We do not fly.( Remember the 9-11 maps of how many planes were in the sky when the air traffic controllers had to bring them all down ASAP? It was nice not having all that jet full exhaust in our air.) We use low energy light bulbs and always turn off anything that we are not using and unplug any of the appliances/electronics that we are not using. I can keep going, but this is enough for you to get the idea that it only takes some effort on our part to avoid our out-of-control thirst for oil and petroleum products and Destruction like the BP Blowout and Spill has rendered on the former Gulf of Mexico and Coastline.
And yes, there are some of us in the world who actually walk the way we talk.

Jerry Morris

Ding! Ding! Dong!

Put your gloves down.....! You just got knocked out!

Your a freaking racist. Scum! hope people start to wake up to this kind of @!$%# also. Calling people cracker's is just as sic as calling people the n word, which i wouldn't even say in an anonymous website.

Both parties are at fault. Both parties have taken donations from BP. They are in the boat together and we need to sink that boat come November.

If you mean what you say, then vote for the people who want to see our country united and working together.

usa7777, perhaps a little homework on your part would do you some good. It was the Obama Administration that waived the NEPA study for BP on April 6th.

USA need to think before you post- if all of everything ever wring took place with Bush,Cheney- they are not in the White House.Current occupant has dilly-dallied for months now,run it through the coast guard,ignored pleas of the governors,and he is the one, dragging his feet who has caused the current delays

Realist,

I believe all blame has been admitted. You're a just using this as an excuse to blame Obama for something BP tried to hide. There was also search and rescue. Also, those that whine too much have to answer as well. Bobby Jindahl was immediately granted access to National Guard troops and I don't recall he acted that quickly with national disaster suits because he was too busy screaming about his lack of help.

What needs to happen and what makes people like you scream like pigs is that more regulation should be in order. That was not done and was actually scorned under the last presidency.

People like you will find any excuse to blame a president they do not like. What happens after this well is capped will be interesting. I plan to help out any way I can.

Texas pam

Find one word about "more regulation" in my post. What I said is that there was criminal lack of enforcement of existing safety regulations. The President is inept at administering what is already in place. Maybe he's too busy reforming everything to bother with administering what is in place.

Your excuses will not hide Obama's lack of leadership in a national crisis. Look at Rudy Giuliani. He marshaled the right people to do the right things after 9/11. Obama has the wrong people doing the wrong things, and the proof is that two months-plus after the initial event, the thing continues to spew destruction.

We all know that it was Sarah Palin that said "drill baby, drill". BUT...she was referring to drilling ON LAND, not miles underwater. You people seem to conveniently forget that was primarily what she was referring to...using our huge natural resources that are in Alaska, on barren tundra, in the middle of nowhere. Should have listened to her. Oh yes, let's not risk the animals, when, in fact, the animals use the original pipeline for refuge. They gather underneath the pipeline for warmth and protection from the temps. and wind, etc.

Heaven knows...those "animals" need those pipelines for warmth, I may not be a biologist, but I believe these mammals have aclimated and lived without those pipelines for thousands of years. As far as your comment of the tundra being in the "middle of nowhere" maybe that is why these animals moved up there in the first place, to get away from people in the first place.

Bobby Jindahl was granted the National Guard and disaster status from the beginning. He was too busy whining about the Feds, EPA or lack of help to put his damn pen to paper.

He could have been the hero , but once again his idealism got in the way. Better luck next time Republicans.

EYE4EYE: Mack, I am an old oil field hand myself and I do know that what works well on land and shallow water may not work so well at depths of 5,000 feet. I will admit that I do not think they are doing all they could but I also have to say when you have the government calling the shots you have problems.