Of Top Hats, Top Kills and Bottom Feeders

[madcorgi]

Maureen Dowd pretty well nails it in this piece. Op-Ed Columnist - Of Top Hats, Top Kills and Bottom Feeders - NYTimes.com

Best quote:

Consorting with the industry intensified once two oilmen took over the White House. Dick Cheney, Duke of Halliburton — responsible for the cementing of the calamitous well, now under investigation — had his aides conspire with BP America and other oil companies to draw up an energy policy.

Bush and Cheney--the gifts that keep on giving.

[crustychief]

And now back to reality.
Breaking news: terror alert

[madcorgi]

Originally Posted by crustychief

And now back to reality.
Breaking news: terror alert

I think the oil leak qualifies as real, crustychief. Not something we can just put on our national "ignore list." Ms. Dowd's points are well taken, and she spares neither the previous nor the present administration.

The bottom line is that we have to learn from these disasters, and the most important thing to learn is that when the regulators and the regulated get too cozy, real problems ensue.

[cairns]

Oh give it up. Obama's been in office for how long? Has he done ANYTHING to change the oil and gas regulations and policies that were in place? If not, why not and if so why didn't it work?

His Interior Secretary says he has foot on BP's neck but his own agency downloads porn, takes bribes and likes the meth habit. His EPA director was scheduled to go to a DNC fundraiser and cancelled only because Politico noticed it. He hasn't done a damn thing except take BP's money, cast blame and hide from the media. His Press Secretary even threatend the media telling them they were asking too many questions on BP. And even the Mouth from the South- Carville- ripped him a new one today- pointing out the dozens of things the government should be doing and haven't. Commisserated with the dead families? the Fishermen? The hoteliers, restaruant owners and other business owners affected by this?

Nope, the edited - Z-man. waiting until Friday before he even goes down there....he may take a few questions from the press (can't have it said that the most transparant administration in history went over a year without a press conference). Then he's heading back to the hood for the second vacation he's taken since the pipe broke. The moron doesn't even understand the symbolic role of a President.

Yes Obama's incompetence is fast becoming legendary. But go right on blaming Bush/Cheney if it helps you feel better. Some people need delusion I guess.

[madcorgi]

Originally Posted by cairns

the Edited - Z-man. waiting until friday before he even goes down there....and then running off on the second vacation he's taken since the pipe broke.

Comment removed. -Z-man.

[The Gaijin]

They had plenty of plans for heathcare as they sat on the sidelines for 8 years. Detailed plans and strategy for when the time came..


I guess all those BP campaign contributions worked.

[madcorgi]

I'm still curious to see if cairns has the guts to tell us what Edited - Z-man. means. He'll probably just run away and hide.

BP (or more accurately, its PAC) contributed generously to both sides, as do virtually all big companies. A red herring.

[crustychief]

You are correct, Madcorgi, the Leak is real and I agree it cannot / must not be ignored. The regulators and everyone else involved were probably very cozy until this happened but Bush and Cheney are no longer in the White House. I find it absurd that people, especially intelligent people ( like you and my father-in-law ), continue to deflect incompetence of the current administration on the past.

[The Gaijin]

Originally Posted by madcorgi

BP (or more accurately, its PAC) contributed generously to both sides, as do virtually all big companies. A red herring.

Why is that a red herring? Nobody here is absolving Bush of anything. Obama made no changes. Why are they not both to blame?

[rouxroux]

Originally Posted by madcorgi

I'm still curious to see if cairns has the guts to tell us what Edtied - Z-man. means. He'll probably just run away and hide.

BP (or more accurately, its PAC) contributed generously to both sides, as do virtually all big companies. A red herring.

Try "NIMROD" (and no, not the "mighty hunter" type.

[madcorgi]

Both sides are to blame, as Ms. Dowd points out. The reason the campaign contributions things is a red herring is because it has nothing to do with the current problem, which is lax oversight by the regulators and negligence or criminality in of BP.

Crustychief, you are generalizing unfairly. I don't blame everything on Bush/Cheney, nor do I see this administration as in any way perfect. But in the particular area of oil industry oversight, Bush and Cheney have a lot to answer for because of their direct financial interests in the industry.

[Superman]

Did the Dubya "administration" ever come clean on who was at the table when Cheney developed their "energy policy?" For those who do not recall, the media and the American People wanted to know what industry professionals and representatives were present when Cheney, early in Dubya's first term, developed the "administration's" energy policy. The "administration" refused to disclose who participated in developing the energy policy for the United States of America at that time.

Again.......United States of America's energy policy........and you are not entitled to know who developed it. And again, at the head of the table was Dick Cheney. The attendee list was secret, and the "administration" tenaciously refused to disclose it, even under substantial pressure. Was this information ever released?

[cairns]

Corgi you've just been owned.

The n stands for nincompoop, nitwit or nimrod (in Chief) take your pick.

I guess you thought it stood for some other word that begins with n. Could you tell us what that word is and why you associated it with Obama? Or will you "run away and hide"?

[Pazuzu]

Originally Posted by The Gaijin

Obama made no changes.

He has too made changes.

He made new regulations and requirements for companies to request drilling and leases from the MMS. He's doubled the paperwork involved to get a well speced and drilled, and integrated the MMs into more of the processes. Now, I have to file weekly reports for my work, which goes to the MMS, who has little knowledge of how things are done, so they complain when they don't understand something, and it delays me and the company that wants to drill the well.

It's great, everything runs much more smoothly now.

See, he's made changes.

[cairns]

Did the Dubya "administration" ever come clean on who was at the table when Cheney developed their "energy policy?" For those who do not recall, the media and the American People wanted to know what industry professionals and representatives were present when Cheney, early in Dubya's first term, developed the "administration's" energy policy. The "administration" refused to disclose who participated in developing the energy policy for the United States of America at that time.

You're right they didn't. And I don't like it any more than I like the backroom secret deals that lead to the current healthcare policy (have you ever publicized your umbrage over that BTW?). But the point is Obama did NOTHING to change it, was advocating even more drilling and his cabinet picks can't even run their own agencies. Blaming Bush or Cheney now is pointless and it's getting more pointless by the minute. Our government needs to work with BP to fix this thing instead of demonizing them. He needs to let America know how hard it really is to fix and what our government is doing to help. Obama should be consoling the people afffected and ensuring that his agency heads work with BP, other industries and even other agencies to fix the problem and minimize the damage, not going on vacation, attending fundraisers, avoiding questions and otherwise acting like the crass political nimrod that he is. A President should bring our country together in a time of crisis- but the sitting idiot does just the opposite.

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by cairns

Oh give it up. Obama's been in office for how long? Has he done ANYTHING to change the oil and gas regulations and policies that were in place? If not, why not and if so why didn't it work?
...

Yes, he has. MMS was tightened up (not enuff); and he has started to nudge us away from our addiction to oil (Mr. Bush's words, recall that?).

Obama has obviously not done nearly enuff.

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by cairns

Corgi you've just been owned.

The n stands for nincompoop, nitwit or nimrod (in Chief) take your pick.

I guess you thought it stood for some other word that begins with n. Could you tell us what that word is and why you associated it with Obama? Or will you "run away and hide"?

I think you used it in the normal sense,

Edited - threatening post. -Z-man

[madcorgi]

Haven't been owned. Just asking, given the usual tenor of posts here that refer to the president. Nice save.

Corgi you've just been owned.



The n stands for nincompoop, nitwit or nimrod (in Chief) take your pick.



I guess you thought it stood for some other word that begins with n. Could you tell us what that word is and why you associated it with Obama? Or will you "run away and hide"?

[dentist90]

yea, right... nitwit. The other 'n-word'.

couldn't come up with 'dic' (democrat in charge)?
or 'bic' (brotha') or 'lic' or...?

Corgi pwned? No, I think you dodged one there dude.

[cairns]

Actually I deliberately used the term as I saw it on another forum and was amazed at how the liberals got sucked in and accused the writer of being racist. The forum was xoutpost. Look for yourself.

It worked much better here. It's so easy to antagonize liberals. Especially you morons.

So you want to meet me in person, Randy? Send me a PM and you can come to the East Coast. I'll set up a meeting spot, you can call me a racist azzhole in person (which I highly doubt you have the guts to do) and I'd be delighted to have you try to kick my ass.

Otherwise keep talking *****. I know your threats of physical violence are hollow but they still ought to have you banned for awhile.

Anyway back on topic. Here's what the beloved Edited - President is doing while the oil is gushing- raising money for Barbara Boxer and charging $17,600 per plate for dinner:

President Obama hosts a star studded dinner at the Getty mansion with a menu to match
By SAJID FAROOQ
Updated 3:12 PM PDT, Wed, May 26, 2010

So what does $92,000 an hour buy you in food? If you're President Barack Obama it gets you a plate full of hors d'oeuvres, a salad and ribs.

Mr. Obama's 19-hour whirlwind Bay Area fundraising trip filled Sen. Barbara Boxer's wallet with $1.75 million and he used a $17,600 a person dinner at the Getty Mansion in San Francisco to bring in the big bucks.

The president's 80 dinner guests were treated to an elaborate meal prepared by chef Jennifer Johnson, according to SF Gate, who got the scoop on the menu.

Diners were treated to quail egg with caviar and salmon ceviche with jicama and avocado on a tortilla chip as their starting hors d'oeuvres. Next they were served a spring onion-asparagus tartlet with Meyer lemon vinaigrette-dressed frisee salad.

The main course was braised Kobe beef short ribs with potato puree and a salsa verde-topped spring vegetable ragout. And the evening was topped off with buckwheat crepes with roasted cherries and almond ice cream.

Of course guests were given the opportunity to smile and take a picture with their favorite fundraising president. Worth the $17,600 price tag? You tell us.


Edited - comments removed. -Z-man.