I apologize for my knee-jerk post written specifically to you earlier. I am quite testy now about people criticizing BP when they have no idea what an incredible job they have been doing this last month. Perhaps if you go through my posting history of the past few days you will get a better idea of what I have been learning - none of it in the OldMedia.
I would erase that post if I could, but retract it here.
Please instead substitute my remarks that are at least a bit more carefully considered - that concluded with the quote of Field Marshall Helmuth Graf von Moltke
I definitely agree with you that what has been done to rectify this mess is nothing short of a logistical and engineering miracle but let’s not act as if BP’s hands are totally clean here. The most definitely are not!
We are all on the same team. Give its apparent success, I had been curious about why this option was not tried earlier, if it was at least planned conceptually.... concerned that oil execs put company profits way too far ahead of this solution, a decison not in the control of either planners or engineers
You might be interested in this discussion of this same topic
Von Moltke was wrong, BTW, he had no idea of the adaptation and resiliance of modern military planning, and the innovation of the US military
No doubt they have been doing an incredible job in solving this problem. But apparently it was also BP that caused the problem when they sent one of their managers to overrule on-site drilling experts and order them to replace all the drilling mud counterbalancing the well pressure with seawater. This type of decision making is very reminiscent of the Challenger disaster.
After 11 deaths and untold billions in damage, I'm thinking that manager is probably in hiding right now.