Eugene Robinson: We're losing the gulf war

[Are_grits_groceries]

<snip>
A second battle is the effort to contain the tens of millions of gallons of oil that have already polluted the gulf and its coastline. Here, too, the administration has gone by the book and pressured BP to honor its responsibilities. It should be clear by now that this has been a mistake.

The Post reported Monday that the administration has received offers of assistance from 17 nations. Sweden has volunteered to send three ships that can each collect about 15,000 gallons of oil an hour. Norway has offered to send nearly a third of its oil-spill response equipment. Japan has offered to send some boom, which authorities on the scene complain is in short supply.

The Swedes, the Norwegians, the Japanese and most of the other would-be Samaritans are still waiting to hear from the U.S. government or BP. Last week, according to The Post, the administration did ask the European Union to help with any specialized equipment it might have. But meanwhile, oil has penetrated the marshes of southern Louisiana and is lapping onto the beaches of Alabama and Florida. The main spill is spreading, and hurricane season is upon us.

Every available piece of equipment in the world that can vacuum, skim, scoop or sop up oil ought to be in the gulf by now, deployed under a central -- probably military -- command structure. The beaches should be defended as if from a threatened enemy invasion. This is a time for overkill, for the Powell Doctrine, for "decisive force."

There's no silver bullet that can defeat this bloblike enemy, but each drop of oil that gets removed from the gulf and its shores is a victory -- and each drop that doesn't is a defeat. It's that simple. This is war.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/14/AR2010061404481.html

Why didn't we ask for their help right away?

[Skittles]

1. the entire thing has been an EPIC FAIL

do we need any more proof our politicians care more about Big Oil than the gulf? Than working Americans? Than environmental protection? :puke:

[ixion]

4. Do we need more proof? Nope.

Prior to this disaster, I personally didn't feel more proof was required. I think these people have made it very clear that they hold We, the People, and planet Earth, in contempt.

[KharmaTrain]

5. Obviously "We" Do...

These oil-slimed Congresscritters, Senators and other politicians were elected and many stand a good chance of being re-elected. Guess not all "we" get the message yet.

[dgibby]

6. The very FIRST thing Obama should have asked for is for

Skittles to go to the gulf and kick some BP ass!:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
When he didn't do that, I knew we were screwn!:evilgrin:

Seriously, I agree. The blowout was bad enough, but the cleanup (or lack thereof) is even worse. And added to that, is the colossal fail of the Admin to control the message.

What a fluster cluck!

[Lagomorph]

2. Unfortunately...

...most every piece of equipment available is stationed in other regions, where it needs to remain in case of other oil disasters.

Send all the equipment to the GoM and they would be inviting sabotage on oil platforms around the world.

There is a darn good reason to ask every nation with a coast on the gulf to help out though.

I find it unfortunate that there are no readily convertible assets for this sort of thing, especially after the warning from 1979 at Ixtol.

[scarletwoman]

9. Um, 17 nations have OFFERED help. They've OFFERED to send their stuff.

The only reason the equipment and ships that these nations have OFFERED to send isn't in the Gulf right now is because WE haven't accepted their offers.

[LooseWilly]

3. Eugene Robinson has the remarkable talent of elucidating the obvious, without getting fired.

His stuff is like a breath of not-bullshit... a clear wafting of sense and clarity... in the middle of a media that seems to revel in strange ... bullshit.

Maybe his voice is just one I like... and his perspective one that doesn't make me want to figure out how to slit my wrists with a butter knife... but thanks. I rarely find anything in Gene Robinson's writing to take issue with, try as I might.

As to the question he asked... I think the un-voiced answer is obvious: Obama and Crew are so "taken" with industry and the likes of BP that... it doesn't even cross their minds to expect that the corporate assholes might try to play them. So... they got played... again... and they'll continue to get played by everyone until they get over the FOX mockery of "Rock Stardom"... But, apparently, Rahm's hard-nosed asshole-dom is reserved for 'the left', to prove to them (us) that they're (we're) not the base.

No one from the administration seems to want to read between the lines of the writings of Robinson & co. ... it might fool them into doing something stupid, like catering to the interests of the "base", rather than carefully calculating policies which ought to apply to a wide-swath of voters and then arguing for the "wide-swath" policies while trying to sell the idea to the voters that "it's the policy for them..."

It seems to be easier politics to sell voters on a plan than to try to distill a plan from what voters want.

I've noticed that a lot of Eugene Robinson's writing seems to be ignored by the WH, and I suspect it's a matter of content that might be seen as not having a wide-enough "sales-appeal"...

Robinson seems to be be pretty on-target as far as perspective of 'the left'... maybe, at some point, the WH will be unable to continue ignoring him... I'm still trying to learn how to cross my toes over that one...

[chill_wind]

13. I like his voice too.

Truth and candor without malice.

[City Lights]

7. Colossal FUBAR.

It's inexcusable that we haven't even bothered getting back to most of the nations that offered their assistance in dealing with BP's underwater oil geyser. :argh:

:wtf: is the government waiting for?

:mad: :grr: :banghead:

[Skittles]

8. it is obvious BP is running the show - badly

[GeorgeGist]

10. Please be more specific:

WE would be _____________________________?

[GeorgeGist]

11. Please be more specific:

WE would be _____________________________?

[suffragette]

12. Powerfully stated

The help being offered could make an enormous difference.

Time we reach out to the hands being extended our way.