Obama reinstates Gulf drilling ban- for seven years

Gulf Americans employed by the offshore oil drilling industry can expect a seven year drought on new jobs.

Via Hot Air:

The Obama administration won’t allow any new oil drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico for at least the next seven years because of the BP oil spill, a senior administration official told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The area that includes the waters off Florida’s coast had been considered for drilling as part of the management plan for the OuterContinental Shelf. Just a month before the April spill, the Obama administration had announced plans to allow drilling in the eastern Gulf.

Louisiana Voters Think Bush Did a Better Job of Handling Crisis Than Obama by 54%-33%

Louisiana has face two major crisis in recent years. The first was hurricane Katrina handled by former President Bush. The second was the Gulf oil spill handled by current President Obama. A PPP poll asked likely voters who they think is better at handling crisis, Obama or Bush. 54% chose President Bush. Only 33% picked President Obama.



81% of Louisiana voters support offshore drilling.

While support has nearly returned to previous levels elsewhere, support in Louisiana has, if it were possible, also increased, to 81%, with only 9% not in favor

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27 hours in the Gulf and out

President Obama wants to promote Gulf tourism. Considering the economic damage done to the Gulf due to the oil spill and Obama's subsequent ban on offshore drilling, this is a worthy cause. So, President Obama took his family on a Gulf vacation. Or was it? We now know President Obama only spent 27 hours in the gulf. This wasn't a real vacation. It was a photo-op. President Obama was in the Gulf just enough time to get some pictures. There was a lot of buzz on the Internet wondering if he would let his family swim in the Gulf. This picture was posted on WH Flickr.



Several newspapers were quick to point out, President Obama and Sasha weren't actually swimming in the Gulf. This picture was taken off Alligator Point in St Andrew Bay. This is a very protected area and isn't technically part of the Gulf.

Oil Clean Up Worker Quits in Disgust: "It's all cosmetic" (video)

This woman quit an $18 an hour job because she claims the clean up is a farce.

WKRG.com

WKRG News reported:

Former oil clean-up worker Candi Warren says she signed up to make a difference, but soon found out the work of cleaning the beaches was all cosmetic. That’s what she was told, she says....

She said she was told to only clean the surface of the sand...

Former President Bill Clinton Wants Obama to Hold off the Blame Game and Focus on "Fixing the Leak"

Former President Bill Clinton wants President Obama to put "fixing the leak" before finding out who to blame. He is willing to take extreme measures to do it.

From Freedom's Lighthouse:

Clinton also said it may become necessary for the U.S. Navy to "blow up the well" to stop the leak on the floor of the Gulf. He said that can be done without using a Nuclear Weapon.

Let's hope President obama is able to take time out of his busy golf schedule and follow Bill Clinton's "fix the leak" advice.

Judge Strikes Down Drilling Ban Order. Team Obama Yawns and Prepares a New Ban Order

Yesterday, a federal judge overturned the drilling ban issued by the Obama administration. The Judge rules there wasn't enough justification for the ban. The ban has cost tens of thousands of Gulf Coast jobs. In a show of contempt for the law, Team Obama will change the language in the order and attempt to reset the clock on the legal process.

MSNBC reported:

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Tuesday he will issue a new order imposing a moratorium on deepwater drilling after a federal judge struck down the existing one.

Salazar said in a statement that the new order will contain additional information making clear why the six-month drilling pause was necessary in the wake of the Gulf oil spill. The judge in New Orleans who struck down the moratorium earlier in the day complained there wasn’t enough justification for it.

Blame Bush Fail: No official responsible for overseeing the exploded rig was a Bush political appointee

Nancy Pelosi is one of many democrats trying to play the "blame Bush" card over the Gulf oil spill. Here is Nancy Pelosi's attempt to blame Bush.

“Many of the people appointed in the Bush administration are still burrowed in the agencies that are supposed to oversee the [oil] industry,” Pelosi said when asked if Democrats could have prevented or mitigated the crisis by keeping a closer watch on the industry.

Added the Speaker, “the cozy relationships between the Bush administration’s agency leadership and the industry is clear…I’ve heard no complaints from my members about the way the president has handled it,” Pelosi stated.

Unfortunately for Speaker Pelosi, not one of the officials responsible for overseeing the exploded New Horizon rig were leftover "burrowed in" Bush appointees.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., recently blamed Bush appointees who “burrowed in” at the Minerals Management Service for the regulatory failures that led to the Deepwater Horizon disaster. But as it turns out, not one of the officials responsible for overseeing the exploded rig was a Bush political appointee.

The Washington Examiner has obtained biographic information on the MMS officials responsible for overseeing BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig at the time it exploded...Not one was a presidential appointment of George W. Bush...

Seventy-one percent (71%) of U.S. Voters say government’s response to the Gulf oil leak will affect their vote

This is bad news for President Obama...

Rasmussen reported:

Seventy-one percent (71%) of U.S. Voters rate the government’s response to the Gulf oil leak as at least somewhat important in terms of how they will vote in November, with 35% who say it is Very Important.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 27% of Likely Voters say the government’s response is not very or not at all important to their upcoming vote.

The Obama administration has come under increasing criticism for its response to the two-month-old – and continuing – oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, which President Obama has labeled the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history.

Nancy Pelosi Continues To Blame Bush For Gulf Oil Spill

Former President Bush has been out of office for almost a year and a half, but that isn't stopping Democrats from blaming him for almost everything. Here is part of Nancy Pelosi's press release following President Obama's address to the nation.

“The disastrous BP oil spill is a harsh reminder of the price we are now paying for the Bush Administration and Republican Congress placing the employees of Big Oil in charge of regulating their own industry. We lost 11 lives in the tragic oil rig explosion, and our thoughts and prayers remain with the loved ones of those that perished. We have lost billions of dollars that belong to small businesses and residents in the region, and we have lost irreplaceable resources. In response, our energy policy must move in a New Direction.

“Last June, the House passed a bill to create clean energy jobs here in America, protect consumers, reduce pollution and help free us from our dangerous dependence on dirty foreign fuels while ensuring our national security. Moving forward, we must complete this legislation and invest in a clean energy future founded on American innovation and the skill of our workers. And we must harness the power of the sun, wind, soil, and our natural resources to fuel our future.”

Obama Promotes Gulf Tourism and Seafood. No Word On Ending Drilling Ban Costing Tens Of Thousands Of Jobs.

Obama promoted Gulf tourism and seafood during a visit to the region Monday. There is no word on ending the offshore drilling ban that is costing tens of thousands of jobs.

AFP reported:

GULFPORT, Mississippi — President Barack Obama Monday implored Americans to visit southern tourist beaches and munched on local seafood, seeking to boost two key industries threatened by the BP oil disaster.

"There's still a lot of opportunity for visitors to come down here. There are a lot of beaches that have not been affected and will not be affected," Obama said, at the start of a two-day trip to the region.

"We just want to make sure that people who have travel plans down to the Gulf area remain mindful of that...

Obama Compares Gulf Oil Spill To 9/11, Then Goes Golfing

President Obama is comparing the Gulf oil spill to 9/11. You may remember almost 3000 people died in that terrorist attack.

Sounding reflective as he heads into a bruising electoral season, President Barack Obama told POLITICO columnist Roger Simon that the Gulf disaster “echoes 9/11” because it will change the nation’s psyche for years to come.

Obama — facing mounting criticism of his handling of the BP gusher, even from longtime allies — vowed to make a “bold” push for a new energy law even as the calamity continues to unfold. And he said he will use the rest of his presidency to try to put the United States on a course toward a “new way of doing business when it comes to energy.”

Then, President Obama went golfing. Can you imagine former President Bush taking so many vacations and playing so much golf so soon after 9/11?

President Barack Obama spent four hours on the golf course Sunday in temperatures that peaked in the low 90s.

The White House pool reported that they left Andrews Air Force Base as it started to rain after 4 p.m.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood was among the group golfing with Obama.

Former President Bush completely gave up golf in 2003 because he didn't want the families of soldiers killed in combat to think he was playing golf while their family members paid the ultimate price for our freedom.

Obama Turned Down Oil Skimming Ships From The Dutch Government

Three days after the spill, the Dutch government offered oil skimming ships and booms to assist with the clean up. The Obama administration turned down the request. President Obama's stumbling response to this ecological disaster has been shameful and proves he lacks the executive experience to be President. In late May, President Obama said,

"Those who think we were either slow on the response or lacked urgency, don't know the facts..."

The excerpt posted below proves that statement wasn't true.

The Houston Chronicle reported:

Three days after the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico, the Dutch government offered to help.

It was willing to provide ships outfitted with oil-skimming booms, and it proposed a plan...

The response from the Obama administration and BP, which are coordinating the cleanup: “The embassy got a nice letter from the administration that said, ‘Thanks, but no thanks,’” said Geert Visser, consul general for the Netherlands in Houston....

Video: Obama looking for "whose a$$ to kick" on oil spill

Yes. President Obama actually said he has been going to the Gulf looking for "whose a$$ to kick" on oil spill. Perhaps this kind of behavior is OK in Chicago, but it is very un-presidential. Obama lacks enough 'class' to be our President.



Has Obama looked in a mirror yet?

Why Hasn't President Obama Spoken To BP CEO Tony Hayward?

President Obama has told BP they are responsible for the clean up and expenses of the gulf oil spill, but he has yet to meet with the companies CEO. Why is President Obama taking such a 'hands off' management style approach to America's biggest man-made environmental disaster? Perhaps it is because he was the top recipient of BP's campaign contributions in 2008 and, then, promised to "keep our boot on the neck of British Petroleum." How do you meet face-to-face with someone after that kind of betrayal?

Bloomberg reported:

Shameful! BP Buys Oil Spill Search Words ON Google And Yahoo To Redirect People To Their Site!

In a shameful attempt to spin the Gulf oil spill, BP has admitted they bought search the term 'oil spill' on Google and Yahoo. Instead of real news about the spill, people who click the link at the top of the search result page are directed to a BP site.

Examiner reported:

In their most tenacious effort to control the ‘spin’ on the worst oil spill disaster in the history, BP has purchased top internet search engine words so they can re-direct people away from real news on the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe.

BP spokesman Toby Odone confirmed to ABC News that the oil giant had in fact bought internet search terms. So now when someone searches the words ‘oil spill’, on the internet, the top link will re-direct them to BP’s official company website.

This would not be the first time that BP has tried to control information to protect the company’s public image...

Hope and Change Becomes "What Now?" For Gulf BP Oil Spill Victims

The Obama Hopey-Changey spell has worn off for some Gulf residents suffering from the oil spill. The words Hope and Change have been replace on Obama's head with "What Now?"

AP reported:

The widening scope of the disaster deepened the anger and despair just as Obama arrived for his third visit to the stricken Gulf Coast.

On Obama's trip to the Grand Isle on the Louisiana coast, his motorcade passed a building that had been adorned with his portrait reminiscent of posters of him during his presidential campaign. Instead of "hope" or "change," the words "what now?" were on his forehead.

Here is the "What Now?" picture.



Meanwhile, they are warning people not to pick up tar balls at Pensacola beach.



President Obama has been criticized for a slow response to the BP oil spill

MSNBC's Morning Joe: 'Last Couple Days' of Obama's Oil Spill Handling Have Been 'Great'

MSNBC's Joe Scarborough on Obama's handling of the Gulf oil spill:

"I think they're doing better now, right? I think the past couple days have been great."

Time magazine's Mark Halperin offered the obvious response:

"Except the hole's not plugged."

Here is a video chronicling President Obama's lame response to the Gulf oil spill.

Obama's Gulf Oil Spill

Time-Line of Obama's Shamefully Slow Response to Gulf Oil Spill (video)

Image from Scooters Report.

On May 27th, President Obama said,

"Those who think that we were either slow on our response or lacked urgency don't know the facts. This has been our highest priority since this crisis occurred."

Watch the video and see if you agree.

Obama's Gulf Oil Spill

Only 16% think Obama is doing a good job handling Gulf oil spill

This is a 13 point decline in two weeks. Surprisingly, 58% still think offshore drilling is a good way to get oil.

Zogby reported:

Positive opinion about the federal government’s handling of a British Petroleum (BP) Gulf of Mexico oil spill is down 13 points from two weeks ago,...

Currently, 16% rate the federal government’s response to the spill as excellent or good. ...

Despite the spill, the percentage of adults who agree that, "Offshore drilling is still a safe, reliable and cost-efficient method of producing oil," remains unchanged from May 10 at 58%. ...

Obama goes to Gulf, examines tar ball and heads out on vacation.

President Obama promised the residents of the Gulf Coast they wouldn't face this crisis alone.

"I'm here to tell you that you are not alone," he said. "You will not be abandoned, and you will not be left behind."

Then, he promptly left them alone and went to Chicago on vacation.

BP has received much well deserved criticism for this spill, so they bused in 400 temporary workers to "spruce" the place up for Obama's visit. Click the image below to watch a video at Real Clear Politics.