ÿþ<html> <head> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1"> <title>OnlineColumnist®.com: Putin Punishes Georgia</title> <meta name="generator" content="Adobe GoLive 4"> <style type="text/css"> .style3 { height: 68px; } .MsoNormal {} h1 {margin-bottom:.0001pt; page-break-after:avoid; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; font-weight:normal; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; } .style4 { font-size: large; font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial; } .style6 { height: 69px; } h2 {margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center; page-break-after:avoid; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Arial; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; } .style7 { font-size: x-large; } </style> </head> <body bgcolor="white" vlink="black"> <center> &nbsp;<table cool width="624" height="2719" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" gridx="16" showgridx gridy="16" showgridy> <tr> <td width="133" height="118" rowspan="2" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0"> <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"><img height="110" width="62" src="images/discobolos.logo.transp.gif" border="0"></a></td> <td width="7" height="118" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="482" colspan="2" valign="top" align="left" xpos="140" class="style6"><img height="75" width="450" src="images/banner.GIF"></td> <td width="1" height="118" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="1" class="style6"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="79"></td> </tr> <tr height="39"> <td width="182" height="39"></td> <td width="300" height="39" valign="top" align="left" xpos="322"><a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"><img height="14" width="267" src="images/divisionofNEW.GIF" border="0"></a></td> <td width="1" height="39"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="39"></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="624" colspan="6" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0" class="style3"> <table border="0" width="100%" bgcolor="black" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td> <table border="0" width="100%" bgcolor="#99ffcc" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4"> <tr> <td align="center"> <div align="left"> <a href="index.html"><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> HOME</strong></font></a><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> &#8226; <a href="articlesindex.html">ARTICLES</a> &#8226; <a href="books.html">BOOKS</a> &#8226; <a href="teflon.html"> THE </a><a href="teflon.html">TEFLON</a><a href="teflon.html"> REPORT</a> &#8226; <a href="mailto:letters@onlinecolumnist.com"> REACTIONS</a> &#8226; <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html">ABOUT DISCOBOLOS</a></strong></font></div> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr height="2"> <td width="133" height="2"></td> <td width="489" height="2576" colspan="3" rowspan="2" align="left" xpos="133" content valign="top" csheight="2573"> <p class="style4">Obama&#39;s Gulf Oil Nightmare</p> <p><b><font face="Arial,Geneva,Helvetica">by John M. Curtis</font></b><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><b><a href="books.html"><br> </a></b></font><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><b> (310) 204-8700</b></font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><i>Copyright June 2, 2010<br>All Rights Reserved. </i></font>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </p> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <p class="MsoNormal"> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class="style7">T</span>aking a hit in the polls, President Barack Obama s approval ratings have sunk rapidly along with British Petroleum, whose April 20 Gulf Oil spill shows no signs of a letting up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Failure-after-failure has characterized BP s efforts to cap the geyser spewing into the Gulf 5,000 ft. below sea level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Far surpassing the 1989 Exxon Valdez tanker spill,.the Gulf spill has rapidly become the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>What frustrates Gulf Coast residents and businesses most is government s sheer helplessness, while BP repeatedly fails to cap the well, now believed spewing up to 19,000 barrels or around 798,000 gallons a day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>BP s latest  top kill fix, pouring 1.2 million gallons of mud on Deep Horizon s  blowout preventer didn t work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Calling the Gulf oil spill  a man-made disaster, Obama can only watch helplessly, as the government has no answer to the problem.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Obama s approval ratings have suffered because the public places blind faith in the government, especially when it comes to natural and man-made disasters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Former President George W. Bush s approval ratings suffered from the Federal Emergency Management Agency s clumsy response to managing Hurricane Katrina in 2005.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Governments take more blame for preventable man-made disasters, since there s more control than Mother Nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>No one blamed Iceland s government for the recent volcanic eruption, disrupting air-traffic to North America and Northern Europe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Man-made disasters carry far more blame, since human error and poor contingency planning factor into BP and government s inadequate response.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>While no one expected BP s Deepwater Horizon to blow up, responsible oil companies drilling in deepwater should have better emergency plans.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) has called on Congress to probe possible criminal charges against London-based British Petroleum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Markey wants to know why BP didn t have better failsafe or backup controls while drilling in deepwater.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> This is probably the biggest environmental disaster we have ever faced in this country, White House top energy advisor Carol Browner told NBC s  Meet the Press. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>White House officials face the unenviable task of trying to stay on top of the crisis, while, at the same time, getting something done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>When BP started its vaunted  top kill procedure Thursday, high hopes were registered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>BP s Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles raised high hopes before admitting  we have not been able to stop the flow, indicating they were activating another contingency plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> We have made the decision to move on to the next option, launching a new fix.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Calling the next plan the  Lower Marine River Package, Suttles said BP would send a robotic submersible to cut off the well s riser and cap it with a  containment valve. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Suttles new plan didn t stop Markey from considering a criminal probe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> I think without question if the word criminal should be used in terms of an environmental crime against our country, that what s going on in the Gulf of Mexico is going to qualify, said Markey on CBS s  Face the Nation. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> BP s managing director Robert Dudley told NBC s  Meet the Press that it would take around a week to know whether the  Lower Marine River Package would work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>He indicated that drilling a relief well, a process that could take until August, was underway, a more certain long-term fix to cutting off the current oil flow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> There could be oil coming up until August, said Browner on CBS s  Face the Nation, preparing the nation for the worst-case scenario.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Since BP s CEO Tony Hayward placed the chance of the top kill procedure s success at 60-70%, his credibility dropped to below sea level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>With the midterm elections approaching, the lack of progress hurts Democrats, much the same way Hurricane Katrina hurt Republicans before the 2006 midterms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Watching close-up shots of black sludge covering plants, birds and marine life on the Gulf s pristine coastline hurts White House credibility heading into November s elections.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>:Even the government seems powerless and all the experts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>If these people can t stop it, then who in the name of God can? said Father Gerry, a priest at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Port Sulfur, La., mirroring the kind of frustration now directed at the White House.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>No one expects Barack to fix the leak himself but there s widespread disappointment over the government s feckless response.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Continued failures by BP to cap the Deepwater Horizon well has now contaminated White House credibility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>While the oil could indeed flow until August, Obama needs to act decisively to provide disaster relief to Gulf Coast residents and business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>White House officials must get an immediate billion dollar cash infusion from BP for disaster relief.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Clean-up funds should come from BP, not the U.S. Treasury.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> While we may not be able to plug the leaking well right away, there s nothing that should stop us from getting help to the Gulf Coast immediately, said Sen. Mary Landrieux (D-La.), urging BP to pony up the cash.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>BP CEO Tony Hayward must make a good faith gesture and place at least $1 billion in an escrow account for immediate relief to Gulf Coast residents and businesses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Without that initial gesture, Markey should pursue criminal charges.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><b>John M. Curtis </b>writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He&#x2019;s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of <a href="books.html">Dodging The Bullet</a> and <a href="books.html">Operation Charisma</a>.</p> </td> <td width="1" height="2576" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="1" height="2"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="2"></td> </tr> <tr height="2574"> <td width="133" height="2574" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0"><img height="172" width="111" src="images/johninframe3.jpg"></td> <td width="1" height="2574"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="2574"></td> </tr> <tr height="1" cntrlrow> <td width="133" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="133" height="1"></td> <td width="7" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="7" height="1"></td> <td width="182" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="182" height="1"></td> <td width="300" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="300" height="1"></td> <td width="1" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="1"></td> <td width="1" height="1"></td> </tr> </table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2" width="597"> <tr> <td><font size="1" face="Arial,Geneva,Helvetica"> <hr noshade size="1"> </font><a href="index.html"><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> Homecobolos> <p><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular">©1999-2005 <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"> Discobolos Consulting Services, Inc.</a><br> (310) 204-8300<br> All Rights Reserved. </font></td> </tr> </table> </center> </body> </html>