palin's been claiming obama needs to call her for help.
her answer? "Ask foreign countries" and she cannot list the solutions.
interesting article about foreign help and what's true or not regarding Palin's claims.
Palin Lies: Claims Obama Refused Help in Gulf from Norway, Netherlands – But They Are on Sitehttp://www.pensitoreview.com/2010/06/16/palin-lies-about-obama-refusing-foreign-assistance-in-gulf/ On his Fox News show last night, Bill O’Reilly asked Sarah Palin what she would do if it were up to her to stop the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Palin avoided answering the question, choosing instead to criticize Pres. Obama for not accepting help from foreign countries, even stating emphatically that the White House had failed to return calls from the governments of Norway and the Netherlands:
O’REILLY: Obama obviously doesn’t know how to stop the leak. Do you know how to stop it?
PALIN: Well, then what the federal government should have done was accept the assistance of foreign countries, of entrepreneurial Americans who have had solutions –
O’REILLY: Who?
PALIN: — that they wanted presented.
O’REILLY: Who?
PALIN: They can’t even get a phone call returned, Bill. The Dutch. They are known in the Norwegian. They are known for — for dikes and for cleaning up water and for dealing with spills.
This was a lie ripped from that day’s Fox News’ Republican talking points:
…On the June 15 edition of Fox News’ Fox & Friends, Glenn Beck said that Obama “needs to explain why we haven’t — why we turned down all the international help. They offered it within a couple of days. We said no…”
…In a later segment on the June 15 Fox & Friends, co-host Gretchen Carlson hosted Sen. George LeMieux (R-FL) and stated: “Steve Doocy asked [White House press secretary Robert Gibbs] why the Jones Act has not been waived, allowing international ships to come into the Gulf.” LeMieux later responded, in part, “The Jones Act shouldn’t be preventing any foreign ships from coming to help in the skimming operations.”
…Later on Fox & Friends, Fox News contributor Laura Ingraham stated that one of the “things the president needs to talk about and needs to do” is to “waive the Jones Act” so that “all of our technology, all of our manpower, all the skimmers internationally” could reach the Gulf. Ingraham did not note that there are already international ships in the Gulf responding to the spill.
Meanwhile, back in reality-based reality:
In an interview on the June 15 edition of Fox & Friends, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs stated that “[w]e have talked to several countries” and that “foreign entities are operating within the Gulf that help us respond” to the oil spill. Despite this, both Carlson and Ingraham continued to falsely suggest that foreign aide was being denied.
…In a June 15 press release, the Deepwater Horizon Incident Joint Information Center (JIC) stated that “[c]urrently, 15 foreign-flagged vessels are involved in the largest response to an oil spill in U.S. history.” The JIC further explained, “No Jones Act waivers have been granted because none of these vessels have required such a waiver to conduct their operations in the Gulf of Mexico.” The press release further stated:
To date, the administration has leveraged assets and skills from numerous foreign countries and international organizations as part of this historic, all-hands-on-deck response, including Canada, Germany, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization and the European Union’s Monitoring and Information Centre. In some cases, offers of international assistance have been turned down because the offer didn’t fit the needs of the response.
…On June 10, Fox News reporter Brian Wilson wrote on his blog that “[t]he Coast Guard and the Administration are quick to point out that some foreign technology is being used in the current cleanup effort.” According to Wilson, this technology includes:
* Canada’s offer of 3,000 meters of containment boom
* Three sets of COSEQ sweeping arms from the Dutch
* Mexico’s offer of two skimmers and 4200 meters of boom
* Norway’s offer of 8 skimming systems
Gibbs: “We are using equipment … from countries like Norway, Canada, the Netherlands”; no need “thus far” for “any type of waiver.” In a June 10 press briefing, Gibbs fielded a question on the administration’s position in issuing waivers to the Jones Act. Gibbs stated that “there has not been any problem” with “using equipment” from foreign countries. From the briefing:
Q Senator Bill Nelson is going to write a letter to the President today asking for some clarification on the Jones Act and whether or not it is in any way inhibiting the U.S. government’s use of offers from other foreign nations and foreign-flagged vessels to help in any way — mediation, skimming, any of the other operations you’re doing on the Gulf. What is the administration’s position on it? The Jones Act was waived during Katrina by the Bush administration to bring oil in. What’s your position on this?
MR. GIBBS: I would say this –
Q Is it an impediment or are you open to waiving it if you need to?
MR. GIBBS: No, no, as Admiral Allen said today, we are using equipment and vessels from countries like Norway, Canada, the Netherlands. There has not been any problem with this. If there is the need for any type of waiver, that would obviously be granted. But this — we’ve not had that problem thus far in the Gulf.
Q But you’re open to waiving it if you need to?
MR. GIBBS: If there’s anything that needs to happen, that will — we will make sure that it happens.
