Translation: BP has put an end to the “crisis”, but Obama needs the “crisis” to continue so he can shut down the oil industry. Admiral Allen is Obama’s mouthpiece here.
Given that last winter's unusual coldness made people laugh at Global Warming, Obama might be very interested in ways to warm things up.
I’m afraid that you have it exactly right. I’m waiting for a second McChrystal type of reaction to Obama’s rules of engagement. This time the enemy is oil.
Allen’s got zero to lose. He’s a retired four star Admiral of the USCG. He doesn’t need this ‘gig’. In fact, he’s one of the most straightforward, stand up people you’ll ever meet. I’m sure he considers being a lame-duck four star Admiral to be the VERY LAST THING he was looking for.
Guy graduated in the class of ‘71, which means that GOLF is probably in Allen’s future, not politics.
If he’s ordering the well open, then it means the pressure is so great that the risk of blowing the casing is so high that it is better to let another 80,000 barrels out per day than let it blow.
The fact omitted by EVERY FREAKING STORY about this crisis is that the PRESSURE IN THE WELL IS 70,000 PSI. Normal pressure in a well like this is about 1500.
Good news: BP hit a gusher
Bad news: BP hit the mother of all gushers.
This is a material science and engineering problem, not a political problem, at bottom.