Things Obama is doing instead of going to the gulf

[Coach is Back!]

This morning, President Obama will meet with the NCAA men’s basketball champion Duke Blue Devils at the White House to honor their 2009-2010 championship season in the Rose Garden.

Keeping up the sports theme, the president and the vice president will take a photo with the U.S. World Cup soccer team and former President Bill Clinton, who is chairing the 2018 World Cup bid, on the North Portico. The White House has previously announced that Vice President Biden and Jill Biden will attend the World Cup in South Africa next month.

Afterward, the president will a private have lunch with President Clinton in the Private Dining Room.

In the afternoon, the President will deliver remarks on the BP oil spill and the conclusions of his ordered 30-day safety review and hold a press conference in the East Room.

The president will announce standards to strengthen oversight of the industry and enhance safety, a first step in a process that the independent Presidential Commission will continue, a White House official says.

In the meantime, the moratorium on permits to drill new deepwater wells will continue for a period of six months. In addition, the planned exploration off the coast of Alaska in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas will be delayed pending the Comissions review and the August lease sale in the Western Gulf will be cancelled. The lease sale off the coast of Virginia will also be cancelled due to environmental concerns and concerns raised by the Defense Department.

After taking questions from press, the President will then receive a briefing in the Situation Room on the 2010 hurricane season forecast and an overview of the federal government’s national hurricane preparedness. The briefing will be led by DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano, FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate and NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco, as well as five FEMA Regional Administrators.

In the afternoon, Mr. Obama will hold a bilateral meeting with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia in the Oval Office.

Later in the afternoon, the President, the Vice President and First Lady Michelle Obama will host a reception in honor of Jewish American Heritage Month in the East Room.

Afterward, in the evening, the First Family will travel to Chicago, Illinois for a four-day Memorial Day weekend vacation. The Obamas have not been back to their hometown all together as a family for more than a year.

-Sunlen Miller

[240 is Back]

Aside from being a huge distraction, holding a press conference requiring security and other resources...

Why would he go to the Gulf?  He could stand on an oily beach for a photo op?  He could take a boat to the highly flammable drop zone in the middle of the ocean?

Tell us what Obama should be doing and saying, and where.  If you're going to criticize, then give us a better course of action he should be taking.

[Fury]

Aside from being a huge distraction, holding a press conference requiring security and other resources...

Why would he go to the Gulf?  He could stand on an oily beach for a photo op?  He could take a boat to the highly flammable drop zone in the middle of the ocean?

Tell us what Obama should be doing and saying, and where.  If you're going to criticize, then give us a better course of action he should be taking.

The guy was on TV every 2-3 weeks giving rambling conferences about nothing. Now he's nowhere to be seen and has become invisible. Better keep shilling for him, though. 

[kcballer]

So let me get this logic right.  When he's on tv all the time you criticize him, when not on the tv all the time like many of you want, you still criticize him. 

If obama went to the gulf you would all be asking what he's doing there saying it's pandering.  The logic some of you use is equal to a round hole and square peg.  it just doesn't fit. 

[Fury]

So let me get this logic right.  When he's on tv all the time you criticize him, when not on the tv all the time like many of you want, you still criticize him.  

If obama went to the gulf you would all be asking what he's doing there saying it's pandering.  The logic some of you use is equal to a round hole and square peg.  it just doesn't fit.  

He was on TV talking about the most insignificant things. Now we have a catastrophic disaster on our hands and he disappears, probably to hide the massive failure that is the govt.'s handling of this situation.

And speaking of square peg into round hole logic.......

[240 is Back]

so give us your perfect scenario.  In the last 5 weeks, exactly what SHOULD obama have been doing?

Don't be vague.  he should have done X to stop the leak, and done Y in the press conference.

[kcballer]

He was on TV talking about the most insignificant things. Now we have a catastrophic disaster on our hands and he disappears, probably to hide the massive failure that is the govt.'s handling of this situation.

And speaking of square peg into round hole logic.......

So you'd rather he were talking on every channel and every show instead of spending time trying to find solutions for this issue and to stop future disasters like this?

[Fury]

so give us your perfect scenario.  In the last 5 weeks, exactly what SHOULD obama have been doing?

Don't be vague.  he should have done X to stop the leak, and done Y in the press conference.

Yes, I'm a fucking oil rig expert. Let me give exact specifications. You're turning into as big of a shill as the rest of the ultra-liberals on here. Pretty sad.

Deny it all you want but for a guy who, at one point, wouldn't get off our primetime TV while he gave us rambling talks on nothing, it's pretty amusing how he has nothing to say or contribute to this situation beyond "Give me a 30 day report." Brilliant leadership. Good to know we put the control of our country in this guy's qualified hands.

So you'd rather he were talking on every channel and every show instead of spending time trying to find solutions for this issue and to stop future disasters like this?

Where has there been any indication that this guy is doing anything to rectify this situation? From what I know, he's done nothing more than ask for a 30 day report about a situation that's getting exponentially worse. Smart thinking.

No one has any idea what he's really doing. All he's done is point fingers while not actually doing anything productive. Hasn't even really answered any questions about it up until this point. Great work. Keep up that transparency.

[240 is Back]

okay, then tell us what he should have done in terms of press conferences.

And does anyone here really believe his standing on an oily beach would do a lick of good, aside from pulling resources away from the cleanup effort.

[Fury]

okay, then tell us what he should have done in terms of press conferences.

And does anyone here really believe his standing on an oily beach would do a lick of good, aside from pulling resources away from the cleanup effort.

Can you explain why he had no problem getting on primetime TV every 2 to 3 weeks and has now disappeared?

This is pretty funny considering you're one of the guys who wouldn't shut the fuck up about Bush's handling of Katrina. Obama's done a great job, what with his great accomplishment of asking for a 30 day report and turning over control of a national disaster to a shady company in order to hide his own incompetence. And a foreign company at that.

[Dos Equis]

Aside from being a huge distraction, holding a press conference requiring security and other resources...

Why would he go to the Gulf?  He could stand on an oily beach for a photo op?  He could take a boat to the highly flammable drop zone in the middle of the ocean?

Tell us what Obama should be doing and saying, and where.  If you're going to criticize, then give us a better course of action he should be taking.

The president/governor always visits the site of natural disasters.  It gives them a better understanding of the event and, more importantly, is just good leadership.  

[240 is Back]

He doesn't want to be associated with it, and any moment standing there might be his katrina or 'mission accomplished' moment.  He should be there, and he's not.  i'm not denying that.

I would just like the armchair experts to deliver their better plan of how they'd handle it.  I hear a lot of people saying "I can't believe obama didn't fix this yet..." without any clue how they'd handle it.

[Colossus_500]

James Carville is roasting President Obama for his lack of action on this issue:

http://www.eyeblast.tv/public/checker.aspx?v=XdqGqG2GaG

I'm sure the good people of Tennessee feel the same way, seeing as they have incurred the worst flooding in its history.  And we heard not a peep about that. 

[Fury]

He doesn't want to be associated with it, and any moment standing there might be his katrina or 'mission accomplished' moment.  He should be there, and he's not.  i'm not denying that.

I would just like the armchair experts to deliver their better plan of how they'd handle it.  I hear a lot of people saying "I can't believe obama didn't fix this yet..." without any clue how they'd handle it.

Armchair experts? Why are you comparing us to the President of the United States, who has a legion of scientists, experts, agencies and money at his disposal to throw at the problem?

You seemed to have no problem being the armchair expert with regards to Katrina. Why is it different now, shill?


This is now the most catastrophic environmental disaster in the history of this country (and getting worse by the day) and you actually have the audacity to defend the way this guy has handled it. How pathetic.

[drkaje]

Are people expecting him (the president) to go scoop out oil, FFS?!

[Fury]

Are people expecting him (the president) to go scoop out oil, FFS?!

Expecting him to take control of a disaster that threatens the well-being of millions of American citizens. Since when does the govt. take a back seat to a catastrophic event on its own shores and pass off control to a shady foreign company that likely caused the disaster in the first place?

[Colossus_500]

Stephanopoulos is pitiful with his statement, "Just what can the President do???"  - if that ain't a kool-aid drinker, i don't know what is.  lol

[24KT]

okay, then tell us what he should have done in terms of press conferences.

And does anyone here really believe his standing on an oily beach would do a lick of good, aside from pulling resources away from the cleanup effort.

Well it's not too late for him to actually take some much needed and long overdue action.

He now needs to parachute onto the Deepwater Horizon, as they unfurl a banner saying "Mission Accomplished"

 

[The Showstoppa]

Are people expecting him (the president) to go scoop out oil, FFS?!

When Katrina hit people were expecting Bush to row around in a rowboat picking up people......but he didn't care about THOSE people....

[24KT]

James Carville is roasting President Obama for his lack of action on this issue:

http://www.eyeblast.tv/public/checker.aspx?v=XdqGqG2GaG

Was Carville having a Pavlovian response there? Did he say people were dying at the end of the clip?  
Reminds me of Ben Stein statement that Ron Paul was making an anti-semitic argument.  

I'm sure the good people of Tennessee feel the same way, seeing as they have incurred the worst flooding in its history.  And we heard not a peep about that. 

Ya that's blowing me away. A friend of mine in Nashville Tennessee has been telling me about all the flooding down there and it's wild. He has described it as being just like Katrina. I thought he was simply exaggerating. According to him, he's lucky he lives on a hill. Everything on 3 sides was underwater, and the one side where the road is, was clear, but everybody else was flooded out.

[drkaje]

When Katrina hit people were expecting Bush to row around in a rowboat picking up people......but he didn't care about THOSE people....

Can chants of "Obama hates dolphins" be far off?

Jeez! Some people are idiots.

[Colossus_500]

Ya that's blowing me away. A friend of mine in Nashville Tennessee has been telling me about all the flooding down there and it's wild. He has described it as being just like Katrina. I thought he was simply exaggerating. According to him, he's lucky he lives on a hill. Everything on 3 sides was underwater, and the one side where the road is, was clear, but everybody else was flooded out.

My heart goes out to the Tennessee folks.  My best friend's sister and her family are there. 

[24KT]

When Katrina hit people were expecting Bush to row around in a rowboat picking up people......but he didn't care about THOSE people....

Instead of picking up people in his rowboat... that MF'er went fishing instead.  

[Fury]

Can chants of "Obama hates dolphins" be far off?

Jeez! Some people are idiots.

I'm surprised the eco-terrorist liberals making up Greenpeace and those other eco-terrorist organizations haven't been raging all over the media about this.

[dario73]

Are people expecting him (the president) to go scoop out oil, FFS?!

Were people expecting Bush to personally rebuild peoples' homes, hand out new clothes, medicine, and food for the Katrina victims? It seemed that is the case by the unwarranted criticism hurled at Bush. Bush's administration was even accused of blowing up levees.

What's the matter? Is Obama and his supporters too thin skinned for criticism?