Gulf Coast Restoration Just Another Empty Promise?

TalkingSides.com ^ | 06/19/10 | CaroleL

[CaroleL]

According to the Obama administration, formulating a long-term Gulf Coast restoration plan can be done in someone's spare time. And all the duties of the Secretary of the Navy can be accomplished in less time than it takes the average person to do their full-time job. That's the message coming from the White House in response to complaints that current Navy Secretary and former Mississippi Governor Ray Mabus will keep his current position even after President Barack Obama chose him to develop that restoration plan.

"The president talked to the governor about this, and they both agreed that he had the ability to do both," said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs. But according to Defenders of Wildlife communications director Cat Lazaroff, "The recovery is going to take years or decades. And the person in charge needs to spend full-time hours on it."

All this begs the question: has the position of Secretary of the Navy under President Obama become such a do-nothing post that Mr. Mabus can take on this important and very time consuming task without it affecting his current job performance? Or is that long-term Gulf Coast restoration plan, one of the very few seemingly concrete and positive steps outlined in President Obama's Oval Office speech, just another empty promise from this administration?

[Bon mots]

Yes... and Obama won't even have to miss a round of golf!