"has been caving in to this media outcry that he show more emotion and anger and energy in dealing with the problem. And I think the result of it is that you're getting government as theater rather than government that is actually doing something effective."No!!! obama acting in response to public opinion, rather than showing leadership!?!? Who woulda thunk it?
"...the president has been demeaning himself by trash-talking the CEO of BP. He's engaging in, as far as I can tell, pointless committees, make-work briefings, ... all of which is really just designed to appease this hungry media, and as far as I can tell is not going to speed up by one second the point at which the leak is plugged."Admittedly, there's not much the government can do to plug the leak. What it can do, though, is help manage the leak: that is, provide resources and coordinate efforts to contain the oil, mitigate the damage, and help with the economic and environmental recovery. That's where obama is failing.
"In what other profession is it supposed to be a good idea that you suspend your rational faculties and let yourself be overtaken by raw emotions? Unless you're an offensive linebacker, this is not supposed to be a good thing. And in this case, we're saying the president is being too rational, too calculating."It's one thing to empathize with people affected by the spill. But when that emotion gets in the way of solving the problem, then rationality and calculated response is a good thing. As Kipling said, "If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs ... you'll be a man my son!"
And while obama is running around trash talking, what about the opportunity cost of all this hardline rhetoric?
"And the real effect it will have is to totally distract the government from dealing with the important issues the federal government has competence and jurisdiction over, such as the state of the economy, the dangers of a European debt crisis, the issues involving the way in which the Chinese military has been flexing its muscles, North Korea, Iran -- these are the things the president should be holding lots of meetings on, these are areas which are uniquely within the purview of the federal government. We have descended to government as theater."There's more from Zakaria here. Check it out.
One more thought on the oil spill: yes, it appears at this point that BP cut some corners on safety and backup issues. They certainly should be held responsible for cleaning up the mess they've made. But has anyone thought to ask why they were drilling so far offshore?
Actually, that's a two-part question. The first is why were they drilling, and the second is why were they drilling in 5000 feet of water.
Why were they drilling? Every administration since Nixon has failed to implement a reasonable, forward-looking, long term energy policy. Remember the oil embargo of 1973? I do. Limited gasoline availability, waiting in line for hours, rationing, odd and even days, and more. But did we learn from that? Hell no. We were (and still are) so addicted to oil that we passed up numerous opportunities to lessen our dependence on oil, or at least foreign oil. So today, 37 years later, we end up paying obscene amounts of money to Middle East despots who despise us and everything we stand for.
And why were they drilling in 5000 feet of water? Everything at that depth is incredibly difficult and complex. The pressure, the cold temperatures, the technological problems of what the energy industry refers to as 'ultra deep drilling' are exponentially greater than drilling at shallow depths or on land. As Charles Krauthammer points out, "Environmental chic has driven us out there." Safer locations, such as off the east and west coasts, or even in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), have all been put off limits by the environmentalists. Consequently, they must share part of the blame for the Gulf spill.
As the masthead of this blog states, "We have met the enemy, and he is us."
Sigh...
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