I have not been following this story as closely as I should have, but is there some obvious fix that no one is doing that they should? Do people consider the possibity that there is no fix, at least, one that currently exists?
I keep hearing that the President needs to "take charge", but is there a clear plan of action?
I don’t know of an obvious fix, but I have read about mitigating measures that were ignored or turned down for what sound like political reasons.
For example, I’ve read that the oil on the surface could have been burned instead of allowing it to be diluted with sea water and reach shore. Was burning turned down for fear of backlash from the same environmental lobbies that have oil companies drilling in deep water instead of shallow water?
When folks call for Obama to “take charge” I think they were largely calling for him to engage. Even without an obvious clear fix, having the President engaged, sends a message that this is a serious problem worthy of his attention.
The Fox news followers are going to have a field day with President Obama’s initial lack of attention to this catastrophe. Even if he gets it right now, this event will be a serious Achilles’ heal for the President during the upcoming midterm elections and the President’s re-election bid for a second term.
His best bet now, is to stay engaged and lead us out of this disaster. The day after that, he should fire the advisors that enabled him when he wasn’t paying attention.
Obama is definitely damaged from this, but he can recover if he plays it smart from here.