[Smokin' Joe]

How is the complete absence of fire booms (paid for by taxpayer dollars) and Federal emergency response of benefit to BP? BP is actively working to shut the well in, permanently, through the use of relief wells to pump heavyweight drilling fluid into the wellbore to control it long enough for the cement job to hold.

I don't see BP profiting from this in the near term in any way, shape, or form. If the company survives and is allowed to develop the field, perhaps they will come out of it all okay, but that is yet to be seen.

If they 'bought' any federal influence, they got gypped.

[cripplecreek]

If they 'bought' any federal influence, they got gypped.

I think that's exactly what happened. After all AIG and Goldman Sachs both gave Obozo big bucks and both have been targeted by the administration. Communists have a long history of using capitalism to destroy capitalism.

[Big Bureaucracy]

The feds could have closed the well permanently with few explosions, but chose not to so BP can operate the well again in the future. Meanwhile the environment is all f... up.