Posted by
Bill Crawford on Saturday, June 05, 2010 11:13:36 PM
This is the big topic here. The fact that it still isn't quite solved is frustrating many, especially the side of the political spectrum that thinks the goverment can consistently do constructive things. I am a believer in a more limited government at the federal level because I am convinced that it tends to screw up everything it touches.
But this is not a political philosophy exposition- yet. I have made some observations, many of them annoying as hell.
It hasn't passed my attention that every solution that BP has tried involves recovery of oil, hopefully for the continuation of the refining process, and then part of their future cash flow. While I find this a little cynical, one also has to understand that they are going to have to pay royalties on every gallon of oil that comes out of that hole- what they refine and what the estimated spill is. They are a corporation fighting for their life, and some of this is understandable.
My engineering knowledge does not allow me to even make an educated guess on the possibility of DC forcing them to develop a large concrete sarcophagus to drop on the hole, and try and cut off the flow. I don't know the size of the dome around it, how near the floor surface it is, and I struggle with the effects of the pressure a mile down. If it were found to be realistic, that would be my next step at this point.
It will get potentially worse pretty soon. If there still is oil flowing up in August, it will be near the peak of hurricane season. This will do nothing to add to or detract from storm formations, but a hurricane growing over warm water often has an impelling effect, pulling water from hundreds of feet down into itself, and if oil gets pulled up with it, the rest of that equation should be obvious.
The bad news is, at this point, I think that is unavoidable, and FEMA had better start planning for it.
The most frustrating part is the abject stupidity on the part of Obama in all this. For starters, he is talking as if the liability for all this is completely on the shoulders of BP a priori, as if the incidents leading up to it have already been investigated. This is where his ambulance chasing lawyer side shines through for everybody. There is a time for that, and that is after the problem has been solved. Using BP as a political whipping boy only serves to force them to lawyer up, it doesn't help solve the problem.
Here is my take on that: Obama is smart enough to know that this whole thing is his problem now, and his first priority is to try and walk through all this without taking the political hit.
Earth to Obama: you already are. Your supporters are getting riled up for you not solving this, more than any other single reason. It's already in your lap. Stop trying to dump it elsewhere.
After that, we have the even more abject ignorance of a six month moratorium on ALL drilling. Are you crazy? Do you know what that will do to oil prices this winter? Why stop shallow drilling? How does that apply? Why not safety inspections on the deepwaters (there aren't that many), and get them going this month? What, are you stupid? Why don't you bring Bill Clinton in to teach you how there is no political future for you if the economy tanks worse than it is now?
Evidently there is nobody in Obama's Cabinet to beat some sense into the man. This is another occasion where I am not surprised. The Chicago Mafia running the White House would be better off having Mayor Daley take over.
Politics is a rough game. The phenomena of last year's genius becoming today's dunce is as old as the hills. Again, I ask, is there anybody in the West Wing who knows any history at all?