Passing The Buck Doesn’t “Plug the D#*! Hole”

Nearly 40 days in, our President finally addressed the American people’s growing concerns about the Gulf Coast oil spill. Listening to today’s press conference, you’d think the administration has been working with single-minded focus on the Gulf gusher since the start of the disaster. In reality, their focus has been anything but singular to help solve this monumental problem.

If the President really was fully focused on this issue from day one, why did it take nine whole days before the administration asked the Department of Defense for help in deploying equipment needed for the extreme depth spill site?

Why was the expert group assembled by Energy Commissioner Steven Chu only set up three weeks after the start of this disaster?

Why was Governor Jindal forced more than a month after the start of the disaster to go on national television to beg for materials needed to tackle the oil spill and for federal approval to build offshore sand barriers that are imperative to protect his state’s coastline?

Why was no mention of the spill made by our President for days on end while Americans waited to hear if he grasped the import of his leadership on this energy issue?

Why have several countries and competent organizations who offered help or expertise in dealing with the spill not even received a response back from the Unified Area Command to this day?

The President claimed that “this notion that somehow the federal government is somehow sitting on the sidelines and for the last three or four or five weeks we’ve just been letting BP make a whole bunch of decisions is simply not true.” But, in fact, that is how U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen described the Obama administration’s approach to this crisis: “We keep a close watch.”

Listening to the President, you get the impression he is continually surprised by the inability of various centralized government agencies to get more involved and help solve problems. His lack of executive experience might explain this because he is apparently unaware that it’s his job as a chief executive to make sure they do their jobs and help solve problems.

The fundamental problem at the core of this crisis is a lack of responsibility. (I risk the President taking my comments personally, but they’re not intended to be personal; my comments reflect what many others feel, and we just want to help him tackle this enormous spill problem.) There’s a culture of buck-passing at the heart of this administration that has caused the tragedy of a sunken oil rig to turn into a potential disaster.

The 1990 Oil Pollution Act was drafted in response to the Exxon-Valdez spill in my home state. It created new procedures for offshore cleanups, specifically putting the federal government in charge of such operations. The President should have used the authority granted by the OPA – immediately – to take control of the situation. That is a big part of what the OPA is for – to designate who is in charge so finger-pointing won’t disrupt efforts to just “plug the d#*! hole.” But instead of immediately engaging with this crisis, our President chose to spend precious time on political pet causes like haranguing the state of Arizona for doing what he himself was supposed to do – secure the nation’s border. He also spent much time fundraising and politicking for liberal candidates and causes while we waited for him to grasp the enormity of the Gulf spill.

Now that the American people are calling him out on his lack of engagement with this disaster, the buck-passing is in full swing – and, unbelievably, his administration is still looking to blame his predecessor. Amazingly, even those of us who support energy independence for America are the brunt of some buck-passing.

He suggested today that a “culture of corruption” at the U.S. Minerals Management Service (MMS) was solely the previous administration’s responsibility and that the failure of the inspection system was a failure of that administration. That is false. The MMS has been his responsibility since January 20, 2009.

The MMS director who resigned today, Elizabeth Birnbaum, was appointed by his administration. And the most recent inspection of the oil rig took place a mere 10 days before the explosion – also very much on his watch, not President Bush’s.

The President is also now attempting to somehow distance himself from his administration’s recent decision to open a few areas of the continental shelf to oil and gas exploration. That’s unfortunate because America desperately needs our domestic oil and natural gas. We rely on it for our prosperity, security, and freedom. The President’s decision to open a few areas to offshore exploration was the right decision then; and unlike his quickly evolving position on energy development now, I continue to believe it’s the right decision today – because energy independence is in the long-term economic and security interests of the United States.

As I explained in an article in National Review last year, conventional sources like natural gas “can act as a clean ‘bridge fuel’ to a future when more renewable sources are available.” I do not, as the President mistakenly believes, think we can “drill, baby, drill” our way out of all of our troubles. As I have consistently stated, we need an “all of the above” approach to energy independence that combines conventional drilling with energy conservation and renewable-energy development. My record in Alaska clearly shows my commitment to this “all of the above” approach. Over 20 percent of Alaska’s electricity currently comes from renewable sources. As governor, I put forward a long-term plan to increase that figure to 50 percent by 2025, which is the most ambitious renewable energy target in the nation. I take great pride in helping to make Alaska, in the words of the New York Times, “a Frontier for Green Power,” even as we continue to embrace the need to “drill, baby, drill” at the same time.

Alaska can be that frontier for renewable energy only because our conventional oil and gas reserves provide us with “a bridge” to a greener energy future. In fact, Alaska has enough reserves of both oil and gas to help the United States cross that bridge – if only we are allowed to drill!

Please, Mr. President, hear me on this, if nothing else: if it’s your Administration’s decision to suspend the leases of new oil field developments off the coast of Alaska in response to the Gulf’s deepwater spill, and you still remain committed to locking up ANWR and other oil-rich lands, please know you are making a mistake. Unless we continue to drill here and drill now, we risk digging ourselves deeper into the hole created by our continued dependence on foreign energy – which often comes from regimes that care nothing for our prosperity or security, and even less for global environmental safety.

We need affordable, reliable, secure, environmentally-sound, and domestically-produced energy, but this administration continues to lock up federal land filled with huge energy reserves. If there is to be a moratorium on offshore development, then it’s time we stop ignoring our safest options for domestic development – places like ANWR and NPR-A in my home state of Alaska.

And it’s time for the administration to stop passing the buck and get control of the disaster in the Gulf. There’s a reason why Harry Truman had that famous sign on his desk. The “buck stops” with the occupant of the Oval Office. When the American people elected President Obama they gave him responsibility to handle this disaster. He promised to “heal the earth, and watch the waters recede...” or something far-fetched like that. It was unbelievable then, it’s impossible now, but what I believe he meant was that he promised to be held accountable. With all due respect, Mr. President, you have a huge job in front of you. We hope you’re learning. Please learn that we must have domestic energy development, you must stop looking backward and blaming Bush, and we must all work together to “plug the d#*! hole.”

I’d add one more point:

The rig is located in FEDERAL waters, not the waters of any state.

With any luck, The One will try to slink out the back door instead of run again in 2012. He is taking quite a bruising these days...and it’s about time!

The fact that he took a swipe at her with that line about “drill baby drill” during the press conference shows how much she gets under his skin.

As a Fox News employee, she must have press credentials. Maybe she should have attended the “press conference” and asked them in person.

If she entered the WH now they would melt like Vampires in the sunlight.

IMHO she should declare her run now...

Then she gets S-Service protection and they may checkmate Mr. McGunniess really nicely....

"The fundamental problem at the core of this crisis is a lack of responsibility. (I risk the President taking my comments personally, but they’re not intended to be personal; my comments reflect what many others feel, and we just want to help him tackle this enormous spill problem.)"

Funny.

He will take it personal. I am not trying to play arm-chair shrink here, but the physcological scramble egg that he is given his childhood (All FR's know the stories and the players) and the mention of a lack of responsibility ought to really rangle him.

He isn't going to like these few lines...

Wow. That really nails it, in a extremely accessible and straightforward manner.

Bump.

“Why is it that everyone wants smaller government, except when they want bigger government”

We want government to follow the law that is already on the books, not keep creating new laws. BP was supposed to have disaster plans. These disaster plans were supposed to be overseen by the government. Instead BP asked for an exemption and got it. Looks like those campaign donations worked in granting them their exemptions.

We have a government that interprets the law any way they want. To hell with the Constitution, lets just make it up as we go along.

I love Sarah Palin and, would eagerly vote for her to become POTUS USA, but her pleading to POTUS Obama is really a waste of time. Ms. Palin and most folks out on the hustings just don’t get it. Barack Hussein Obama wants to take down America, all of it. Problem is, he is about as incompetent as a human can become. I am beginning to believe he bests out Joe Biden as the dumbest man in the universe. That press conference of his yesterday was sickening, at best, insulting, at least. This America hater is so far in over his head that he will take the country down with him. He is also doing a terrific job of destroying the Democrat Party. No, Ms. Palin, this POTUS Obama needs to offer his resignation or, his political party (Democrat) should impeach him. His continued service as POTUS will only hurt and diminish American and Americans more.

I love Sarah Palin and, would eagerly vote for her to become POTUS USA, but her pleading to POTUS Obama is really a waste of time. Ms. Palin and most folks out on the hustings just don’t get it.

If you think that Sarah Palin actually expects Obama to take her advice, you're completely misreading the tone and intent of these articles.

The whole point is to take Obama to the woodshed and to set herself as a contrast to him.

I thought that that was just a rhetorical device.

Inotherwords, she isn't REALLY "pleading" her case to the Prez; she's simply using that as a way to present all her views on this matter.

I was hoping we'd get a clear coherent article from her soon, and here it is.

One thing that I only learned last night was that Michio Kaku claims that it is entirely possible that NO top-kill of any kind will permanently work, and that the Gulf Oil Leak could last for YEARS.

Yes, for years & years & years.

I wonder if BHO has any idea....

This was in my opinion, no accident. It was one of obama’s “Reichstagg Fires”. With it he will eventually ban all oil drilling in the United States and territorial waters. The off shore drilling will be banned soon and the land drilling later.This will raise the price of oil drastically, particularly for private consumption. This fits into the Socialists plan to force the public to use mass transport and also restricts their freedom of movement,thus making them easier to control. Next will come the building of to force the people from isolated areas to move into, for their “own protection”.

obama is moving forward with his agenda. But we know that, don’t we.

I bet der Leader is really upset today after reading Palin’s commentary. She hit him again and again and again. The street aggitator is not used to that. Furthermore, he has her and Rush so far into his head, he believes they are cleaning his teeth.

Now, if everyone can keep the pressure on...upon this, the Sestak Issue, the Immigration issue and whatever else they can pick at...drip drip drip, just like when a bull is stabbed by a bunch of lances to sap his strength. The final thrust will come in 2012 when his Royal High Ass is removed.

What is Obama going to run on in 2012?

He will not run.

Anybody see Larry King interview T. B. Pickens last night? He pointed out that our community organizer pulled the damage control/troubleshooting crew from trying to solve the problems so they could attend meetings! When will the madness end??

“...Ms. Palin ...”

She’s definitely and proudly a “Mrs.” Palin.

“Ms.” is a made-up appellation that so-called “Feminists” use. “Feminisim” is an offshoot of communist doctrine to revolutionize women and create intentional gender conflict.

Betty Friedan, the first to coin the term “feminism” was a hardcore Stalinist.

And I don’t see Mrs. Palin “pleading to POTUS Obama” as much as I see her NEEDLING him and tearing at the fraying edges of his already fragile, narcissistic ego.

Other than those to little irks, I agree with the rest of your post.

“..Other than those to little irks, ...”

OOps...meant “TWO little irks”

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