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Obama's oil spill address: Too little, too late? Weigh in
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On Tuesday, June 15, President Obama interrupted our regular programming to address the Gulf Coast oil leak. It is his first Oval Office address."Make no mistake," he said. "We will fight this spill with everything we've got for as long it takes. We will make BP pay for the damage their company has caused. And we will do whatever's necessary to help the Gulf Coast and its people recover from this tragedy."
Obama detailed his plan to meet with BP executives at the White House on June 16. He will require them to establish an account and "set aside whatever resources are required to compensate the workers and business owners." We wonder if one company - even one as large as BP - could possibly begin to pay for the losses already caused by the spill, and the losses that the communities will continue to suffer.
In addition to establishing the escrow fund, which will be managed by a third party, Obama authorized that 17,000 members of the National Guard be sent to the coast to "stop the oil from coming ashore, clean beaches, train response workers, or help with processing claims." He also has appointed Navy Secretary Ray Mabus to "restore the unique beauty and bounty" of the area.
Obama is also calling for a clean energy bill to help reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil. "Each day, we send nearly $1 billion of our wealth to foreign countries for their oil. And today, as we look to the Gulf, we see an entire way of life being threatened by a menacing cloud of black crude."
Many have criticized the federal government's inaction and slow response to the oil spill. This national address comes nearly two months after the Deepwater Horizon's explosion.
We want to know your thoughts, Zap2it readers. Did Obama respond to the crisis fast enough? Is his plan sufficient? Do the financial consequences that BP will face make up for the destruction caused? Weigh in in the comments below.
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Photo: Residents of Grand Isle, a Gulf Coast community, watch the address. Credit: Getty Images
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barry butt a.. odumba has no idea on what to do,this clown needs to be thrown a bone.
A recent poll taken in Louisiana gives George Bush higher approval ratings for the way he handled Katrina than they give Barack Obama's handling of the oil crisis. Now, that should tell you something!
And this has to do with entertainment news ... how?
Unless you count the continued belief that Obama can fix this with a snap of his fingers. If he suddenly said "Nuts to BP, we're taking over" we'd be hit with all that "he's a socialist" nonsense again. Obama's only problem is he's spending too much time looking to the future, which I guess is what American's don't want, which is why the country has stagnated for the last 25 years.
President Obama has sat back licking his chops to push his agenda of cap & trade, clean energy. "Never let a crisis go to waste". BP needs to stop the leak, but President Obama needs to declare the Gulf a disaster area and send in the EPA to clean it up. On day 3 of the disaster, Amsterdam volunteered to send their clean up ships to the Gulf. President Obama, in writing, refused their help. Amsterdam has the ships & technology to help. Obama could waive the "Jones Act" to allow foreign vessels into our waters to help, but he would not do it. Obama's administration has totally ignored the requests of the Governors in the Gulf Coast region, especially Bobby Jindal. President Obama's loyalty to the Unions outweighed the responsiblity to protect the people, the enviroment, the wildlife, and economy of the Gulf. It makes no sense to drill for oil so far out in the ocean and so deep. We should be drilling closer to shore and on land. America has the ability to be self sufficient, but the Federal Government & Enviromentalists deny us that right. To have been a community organizer, Obama has totally failed to organize or lead in this disaster.
This president is a poser, not a leader. He's arrogant enough to think that the American people are a bunch of idiots who will believe anything - and maybe he's right, but I sure hope not. The Emperor Has No Clothes!!
Obama's goals has never been to stop or cleanup the oil spill. His goal is to use the crisis as justification for cap and trade, increasing regulation, and nationalizing the Oil Industry by forcing them into bankruptcy.
We do not yet even know the reason for the spill. It it was an act of God or of terrorism, BP has no liability and we should know the cause before pointing fingers which is all he's done so far except prevent others from solving the problem.
The man is a fraud and an enemy of the people. Impeachment is too good for him. He should be JAILED!
Obama's goals has never been to stop or cleanup the oil spill. His goal is to use the crisis as justification for cap and trade, increasing regulation, and nationalizing the Oil Industry by forcing them into bankruptcy.
We do not yet even know the reason for the spill. It it was an act of God or of terrorism, BP has no liability and we should know the cause before pointing fingers which is all he's done so far except prevent others from solving the problem.
The man is a fraud and an enemy of the people. Impeachment is too good for him. He should be JAILED!
Obama is right. We NEED (yes need, not "it would just be nice") to fast peddle effective "green" energy alternatives to oil. The goal being to no longer rely on or use oil at all.
We need LESS off shore drilling and NOT more. This spill proves that. This is only ONE drill out of thousands, can you imagine if 4 or 5 (or more) spilled at once? We'd never recover.
Oh, and RE: Georgia Peach's reply...
The reason they're drilling so far out in the ocean and so deep is that is where the oil is at (for off shore oil). You go where the oil is, not where we'd like it to be. I can't wait until the day we've converted to green energy... no more oil please.
While we would all like "green" energy, what we unfortunately have available and rely on now is oil. Saying no more oil is ridiculous, unless you think we should get rid of all automobiles and decide to not heat our homes.
Jai, you are a kook. I am no fan of Obama but his actions are a jailable offense? When I was listening to him last night I could hear the tea baggers heads popping off, exploding in the background as he spoke. You and you cohort, jai, need some therapy, or maybe just tune in to a few Glenn Beck shows so you may be reminded that you are not alone in your insanity.