Tell me the truth...how bad is this for Obama?

[goodboy]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/14/us/14agency.html

WASHINGTON — The federal Minerals Management Service gave permission to BP and dozens of other oil companies to drill in the Gulf of Mexico without first getting required permits from another agency that assesses threats to endangered species — and despite strong warnings from that agency about the impact the drilling was likely to have on the gulf.

Those approvals, federal records show, include one for the well drilled by the Deepwater Horizon rig, which exploded on April 20, killing 11 workers and resulting in thousands of barrels of oil spilling into the gulf each day.

[Mari333]

1. how bad was this for the people who lost their lives on that floating nightmare

and the destruction it is causing to the Gulf

as for Obama..maybe its a wake up call to finally get going with super regulatory agencies that lapsed during the cheney admin. we shall see who butters his bread.

[Xipe Totec]

5. Those that died were closest to the bore hole

Probably saying "pressure test failed? Meh! Keep going!"

[Mari333]

9. I doubt they even knew what hit them

and they didnt deserve that .

[Xipe Totec]

19. Opinions differ on the subject

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8340018

[ingac70]

2. Doubt it makes any difference.

This shit was going on long before Obama became Pres.

From your link....

"Another biologist who left the agency in 2005 after more than five years said that agency officials went out of their way to accommodate the oil and gas industry."

He is just going to have to clean house at MMS.

[goodboy]

11. So these could've been BushCo folks left over who approved this drilling? (nt)

[ingac70]

14. It's likely....

the entire staffs of these agencies don't change with Admin changes, just the person who heads it.

[goodboy]

18. It would be good to know this information. So that teabagger types

can't put all the blame on Obama.

[Zen Democrat]

3. This rebounds to Cheney. He should be subpoenaed to testify under oath.

About those meetings with the oil majors to write energy policy that were kept secret from the American people in 2001. Eliminating federal regulations was one of them.

[katandmoon]

7. He should be but if he is, Obama will oppose it. Cheney won't show up anyway.

[louis-t]

15. Funny how Chee-nee just disappeared.

His evil spawn has been very quiet also.

[ima_sinnic]

4. he's good at damage control

-- that's the important thing, right? :eyes:

[boomerbust]

6. Wake up call

I did not vote for Obama to have him compromise with these thugs. He better wake the fuck up!!!!

[rucky]

8. I don't think permits would've prevented this

since our law does not require the safety equipment needed that would've prevented this.

[goodboy]

10. That's a good point. I wish we could see who approved the drilling..

and which administration appointed them/

[lonestarnot]

12. If drilling hadn't been permitted then there would have been no need for safety equipment!

:eyes:

[Johonny]

13. It's hard to hurt Obama with this and not also hurt Bush

It is well known that this agency was horrible. The Bush administration basically set out to ruin most of the agencies associated with the executive branch. It's hardly surprising Obama has not been able to fix every agency immediately. I think this disaster high lights why that agency is important and why we the people need our government to function and should not elect people that promise government can't work. Now is it a black mark against Obama. Sure he's the president he's in charge. Is he the only one responsible for this? No our civil agencies don't magically turnover when the face in the white house does. It's this consistent bureaucracy that helps to keep our country moving along. However it's also the reason Republicans hate these agencies. They fear Democratic spies blah, blah... So they pack our federal agencies with cronies and then pass them off to the next administration.

[deaniac21]

16. At some point these problems will become his. He can't point

his finger at the last administration for 6 more years. At some point he will have ownership wether he takes it or not.

[lamp_shade]

17. As bad as "anybody" wants it to be.