'Top kill' effort succeeds in blocking oil leak, Coast Guard admiral says

latimes ^ | 5 27 10

[dennisw]

Reporting from Houma, La. Engineers have succeeded in stopping the flow of oil and gas into the Gulf of Mexico from a gushing BP well, the federal government's top oil spill commander, U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, said Thursday morning.

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

ping

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

What joy that they were able to get it plugged. Hopefully, the politicians won’t react selfishly trying to play it for gain, but, you know how politicians are. Nevertheless, perhaps the cleanup can continue and eventually this massive find can be tapped for the benefit of the United States.

[usconservative]

I pray Obama will take his own great advice, and plug his own big fat hole

Maybe the second ship that's on the way with more mud can plug Obama's big fat hole ...

(Someone sure needs to, I'm tired of hearing his dumbass on TV all the damn' time....)

[valkyry1]

I never thought it was going to happen.

[lacrew]

The live feed shows stuff still spewing out...isn’t the mud supposed to be heavier than water...if so, this stuff is still oil?

[Catphish]

I really don’t see what Obama should have done differently or if this get stopped why he deserves any credit. People need to make every disaster about politics for some reason.

[hal ogen]

So...just what exactly did the government of nobama do to stop the oil? Other than hassling and interrupting BP and making thuggish statements...what exactly did they do to help? (crickets)

[PMAS]

The totally sat on their hands on this spill on purpose - “the end (green agenda)justifies the means (do nothing while the Gulf burns)”

[crusty old prospector]

Once they have the well killed, they don’t want to take a chance that it will unload again. It’s just a little bentonite (clay) and barite, which is a weighing agent.

[jimbo123]

Great news if true. It’s shameful that it took this long.

[valkyry1]

In the ‘peak oil theory’, all the easy oil is pretty much gone, that much is true.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

I hope and pray the admiral is correct. But Team Obama was AWOL. Someone in his administration should have been mentioning contingencies on Day One, and now oil threatens the coastlines.

[Donald Rumsfeld Fan]

I’m looking at that same video, have been since last night, doesn’t look like they stopped anything to me ...

The oil flow has been stopped....what you are seeing is mud flow. That means TOP KILL was a success. They will do the capping later.

[PMAS]

I totally agree

[cripplecreek]

I really don’t see what Obama should have done differently or if this get stopped why he deserves any credit.

There was nothing Obama could do about the leak. His responsibility was for the oil already in the water. Now its across hundreds of miles of shoreline. Lots he could have done there but didn't, in fact he prevented things from being done.

[alicewonders]

JIT for The O’s presser today.

How convenient.

My thoughts exactly. Obama announced his press conference for today - days ago. Now, conveniently - he can announce that they've "plugged the damn hole". Numbers tanking - now he is the hero.

Just like the timing of the whole incident - too TOO convenient for Obama. I would not put anything past those people!

[AFPhys]

Oceaneering is in charge of the video.

[TexasCajun]

Not so sure? ...not completely?

Live Video

[MrB]

all the easy oil is gone, eh?

Really?

Or is it not “easy” because of arbitrary regulation?

[spectre]

I really don’t see what Obama should have done differently or if this get stopped why he deserves any credit.

The Messiah shouted "Plug the Damn Hole" and presto, it was done! Maybe he should have told them a lot sooner?

Oh, and yes...he will proceed to take the credit.