Saturday, May 22, 2010
Democratic strategist James Carville — an ardent supporter of President Obama is the latest high-profile media pundit to issue a withering critique of the administration’s handling of of the worsening Gulf oil spill.
Appearing on CNN’s Anderson Cooper program on Thursday, Carville said the administration’s response to the spill has been “lackadaisical” and that Obama was “naive” to trust BP to manage the massive clean-up effort.
“I think they actually believe that BP has some kind of a good motivation here. They’re naive! BP is trying to save money, save everything they can. They won’t tell us anything, and oddly enough, the government seems to be going along with it! Somebody has got to, like shake them and say, ‘These people don’t wish you well! They’re going to take you down!'”
Carville also accused the White House of going along with what he called the “let BP handle it” strategy.
Meanwhile, BP told the Environmental Protection Agency they will continue to use the chemical dispersant Corexit, despite being told by the EPA to stop using the highly toxic chemical, and find a less environmentally harmful dispersant. To date, BP has used a little more than 670,000 gallons of Corexit, an unprecedented application and for a duration and at depths also without precedent.
From the Left 
More than the divisiveness of healthcare reform, and the potentially negative impact on Obama’s 2012 race for reelection, I think the growing perception that he stood by and allowed BP to run roughshod over the EPA and Interior, as the Gulf oil catastrophe grew worse and worse, will be the issue that unravels any hopes of a second term. It’s has certainly turned me off from him.
I don’t trust James Carville anymore than I trust BP or Transocean. Carville isn’t above using this mess to pave the way for Hillary to throw her pantsuit into the race in 2012.
About the EPA telling BP to stop using Corexit and BP telling EPA they will not stop using it. Here’s my understanding of this issue. EPA approved the use of Corexit for spills in smaller amounts going back at least 20 years. The dispersants, Corexit 9500A and Corexit 9527A, have never been used on the scope they’re being used in the Gulf.
There was no green movement in the U.S. when these chemicals were developed and they were never intended to be used in quantities of 650,000 gallons on the surface and 55,000 underwater. The fear is, Corexit will create vast deoxygenated zones in the water, rendering it unable to sustain marine life. If Corexit enters the food supply, humans could see a spike in birth defects and cancers.
This was preventable and this is the thing that angers me most. I thought President Obama had more sense and judgment and once elected, he would build an Interior Dept. not vulnerable to the influences of Big Oil. Boy, was wrong.
Public beach in La. closed as oil washes up
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100521/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gulf_oil_spill
Officials closed the public beach here Friday as thick gobs of oil resembling melted chocolate washed up, a very visible reminder of the blown-out well that has been spewing crude into the Gulf of Mexico for a month.
Up to now, only tar balls and a light sheen had come ashore. But oil was starting to hit the beach at this island resort community in various forms — light sheens, orange-colored splotches and heavier brown sheets — said Chris Roberts, a local official who surveyed the area Friday morning.
“It’s difficult to clean up when you haven’t stopped the source,” said Roberts, a councilman for Jefferson Parish, which stretches from the New Orleans metropolitan area to the coast. “You can scrape it off the beach but it’s coming right back.”
I live in Gentilly Terrace. Most of my people live in Gentilly Terrace and they have for decades. Everyone here is complaining about the stench. It’s so strong and acrid that it’s hard to breath. It chokes off your lungs and leaves you wheezing. New Orleans officials blame the spill. They predict it will get worse and just about everyone is worried about hurricane season.
Let’s review:
* Obama’s Interior gave BP a “waiver” so they weren’t required to file an environmental impact study prior to drilling
* BP rejected the Feds request to send their own deep water cameras into the spill zone to assess the true amount of oil in the water
* BP (along with the US Coast Guard) blocked CBS news from filming on a public beach in Mississippi under threat of arrest
* BP told the EPA they will not stop using Corexit to disperse the oil on the surface water
Funny, I thought I was an American citizen in the United States? My passport says USA. I guess when I renew it, it will read “BP.”
I see very little in-depth news coverage in the US media about the Gulf disaster.
Keith and Rachel are obsessed with Rand Paul. Over at CNN, it’s African-American special interest stories and al Qaeda in America. I don’t watch FOX. I get the best and most comprehensive news about the Gulf disaster on BBC America.
Lea Lea – BBC America is great. CNN International is good too. You just need to catch them when they’re not showing rebroadcasts of Anderson Cooper or Larry King. CNN International is very much like the old, pre-Time Warner news network.
What’s really funny is Rand Paul blathering on about how we should all trust BP more…it’s “unamerican” to expect them to foot the bill for any cleanup.
BWAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
There is no in-depth news coverage. All the news is coming straight from BP.
Let’s not forget how much money the Obama campaign received from Big Oil. A million dollars buys a lot of subservience.
Wait a minute! When the EPA tells BP to stop using chemical dispersant, it should not be an option for them to disagree and use it anyway.
What the hell? They need to impound the chemicals, and ground the planes that would spray it.
BP is not, should not and can not be in charge of cleaning up this unprecedented disaster.
They need to be taking orders, not giving them.
Any use of chemical dispersant, after ordered to cease use, should be fined a million bucks per violation. Clearly they don’t care about the environment, but I’m sure they do care about their profits.
If James Carville were a loyal democrat, he would resist the temptation to diss President Obama and leave it to bloggers and his republican tranny wife.
I don’t trust him. Period. He’s a loyal Clintonite before he’s a loyal to the party.
While I agree with his comments, I have to think anything that potentially paves the way for Queen Hillary to run in 2012 or 2016, is his main motivation.
I was going to say, what a shame we’ve sold our soul to the highest corporate bidder but, then it occurred to me that we never had a soul to begin with.
Does anyone really think the next election will result in any improvement at the top? Wake me up if it does.
Christopher,
Glad to see you’re still blogging and doing top-notch reportorial work.
I think many people on the left assumed Barack Obama would halt George W. Bush’s free-market approach to energy. Regulation, after all is what the Democrats bring to the table.
Unfortunately, I see not an iota of difference in approach between Bush and Obama. For the record, I am not saying Hillary Clinton would be any better. In fact, she might be worse — closer to McCain’s approach to the free-market.
Judging by President Obama’s insufferably polite behavior toward BP, and the government’s handling of the spill zone, I have to wonder if we renamed the country The United States Of BP, and I slept through it? Bowing to the Emperor of Japan is appropriate protocol but, bowing to the CEO of BP is embarrassing. How can Michelle sleep with this guy now?
Carville may be correct, but he also is hypocritical. Obama is doing the exact thing his beloved Clintons would do.
Yo, Joost!
You must have replaced the old computer. I hope you didn’t buy another Dell. Told you Dell is junk. Don’t be a stranger.
Very nice Blog. I’ve seen some of your comments on other post and they have been insightful. I’m just going to mull around.
I’m sorry….. anything that comes from Carville, and I don’t care what it is, is DOA. He’s not credible enough for a debate on what he says.
Corexit isn’t the only way to disperse petroleum from water. It is the most lethal approach to plants, fish and animals but, there is an alternative.
According to a group of scientists from the Department of Industrial Microbiology at University College in Dublin, certain microbes are highly effective in tackling oil spill pollutants.
Their research showed the exceptionally diverse nature of these microbes. While some of the constituents of oil proved to be toxic to some of the bacteria, other bacteria were capable of using the oil compounds as food ultimately breaking them down.
According to researchers, simply adding microbes to the spilled oil or the oil stain will not work. Only specific bacteria work upon the oil components to break them down into harmless compounds.
Choosing the most applicable bacteria will only help in cleaning up an oil spill. Manipulation and usage of natural microbial populations is necessary to break down the contaminants and bring back the environment to its original form.
Everyone knows James Carville, as well as Paul Begala and George Stephanopolous) take turns staying in the Clintons guest house in Chappaqua when they’re not appearing on TV.
I don’t particularly like Carville not because he’s close to Bill and Hillary Clinton — it’s his lack of judgment in picking a wife. Mary Matalan is a rightwing lunatic.
I also think James Carville is a slippery eel and his criticism of President Obama has less to do with the Gulf oil spill than maneuvering Hillary as a viable challenger to Obama in 2012. At the end of the day, Carville is always loyal to the Clintons.
Mary Matalan belongs on RuPaul’s Drag Race. You just know she has a bigger cock than James. I shutter to think about the two of them doing the nasty when the lights are out. Yuck!
Corexit isn’t the only path to cleaning up the Gulf oil spill. Corexit is ecologically more destructive than the oil itself. Please read this piece.
A Hope For Oil Spill Bioremediation
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/05/050517063708.htm
Stephan Iversonn & Matteo — Thanks for posting.
What do you want to bet, if we dig deep enough we will learn BP owns the company who manufactures the chemical dispersant Corexit? Even in a clean up effort, BP profits.