I have to admit that I am very frustrated and somewhat baffled with the way President Obama is handling the crisis in the gulf. I do believe that he is aware of everything that is happening in regards to this horrendous oil disaster, and that he has put all of the government's available resources into that area. I do not believe as some are claiming that he doesn't care about the environment, or white fisherman, or about the impact this is having on the people, the wetlands, and the fishing industry. I am sure he is doing everything that he can do, short of putting on a wet suit and diving gear and plugging the hole himself, to insure that BP is doing everything possible to put an end to this disaster. I realize and understand that there is just so much he can personally do to stop this gusher and prevent the oil from destroying the wetlands and the entire gulf coast fishing industry. However - and this is where my frustration comes in - despite all that he is probably doing, and I have no reason to doubt his complete involvement and concern with the day to day progress of containing this spill, he simply does not appear to be outraged.
This is not the time for tempered or measured responses - this is not the time for calm deliberation and assessment. There is a time for that to be sure - but not yet, not now. As the oil continues to spew into our ocean, as the wetlands are beginning to be destroyed, as birds are covered with oil, as the fishermen are slowly losing their way of life with no relief in sight, and with the undeniable knowledge that this was all preventable, now is the time for some emotional intensity, now is the time for some presidential outrage.
Outrage, because this was an accident that did not need to happen. All the evidence shows that British Petroleum (BP) acted without following all safety procedures - they cut corners in order to save money and because they did, there was an explosion. The explosion happened because of carelessness and greed. Because there was more attention given to ways to save money than ways to guarantee a safe drilling operation, 11 people died and oil is polluting our ocean, our coast line and many people's livelihood. Because of BP's malfeasance, we have an environmental and economic catastrophe that will haunt us for generations.
Outrage, because after the explosion, it was very apparent that BP was unable to stop the oil from gushing into the ocean - they were not prepared in case of an accident - they had no reliable and tested way to stop this "leak" this far under the ocean's surface. They proceeded with this drilling operation knowing that they were unable and unprepared to prevent a spill and should a spill occur, to stop it. This is nothing short of criminal negligence.
Outrage because BP is now knowingly polluting our ocean and our sea life with poisonous chemical dispersants, chemicals that are known to cause damage to sea life and humans, and that will have a lingering effect on sea life and humans for years to come - long after the visible signs of pollution are gone this invisible pollutant will continue to devastate.
I realize that feeling and expressing outrage does not solve problems - outrage is not a substitute for responsible action - but it is a motivating energy and there are times when it is the only legitimate and very human reaction to a situation that is unconscionable. It was outrage at injustice that finally got a Civil Rights bill passed in 1964 - it is outrage at the banks and Wall Street that is motivating financial reform today. What is happening in the Gulf is a disaster of enormous proportion. The damage the Gulf is sustaining, both to its environment and to its people, is immeasurable - there is no way to calculate the impact and scope of this devastation on the ocean, the fish, the ecology, and the livelihood of an entire region. And all of this was avoidable if BP had exercised caution and followed safety procedures and if our regulating agencies in charge of making sure safety procedures are followed had done their jobs. If this is not a situation that demands outrage from our president, then I don't know what is.
Is there no one in the administration who remembers what happened to President Bush during Katrina? Does no one remember how the perception that he didn't care and wasn't involved hurt him politically? Why do the people who advise President Obama think that this is any different? The President has been hurt by his seemingly cool and calm demeanor, his lack of visibility at the site of this disaster, and mostly, his seemingly complete lack of outrage at the people responsible for this national tragedy. He has given fuel to those who will use this apparent disconnect from the outrage that most people feel about what has happened to show that he is not a man in touch with the people, that he is arrogant and remote and above it all, and even worse, that he is incompetent and incapable of being a good leader. All of this could have been avoided. All the President needed was someone to tell him to be there and to be there often. Be with the families whose lives are being destroyed. Be with the families of the men whose lives were lost. Be on the scene - show you care - show you understand - and show you share the nation's outrage at what has happened and at the people who deliberately allowed it to happen through extreme and reckless negligence.
I am sure the President is angry. I am certain he feels the outrage many of us feel at this escalating crisis. My advice to the President is to show that anger, show that outrage, and not just at BP. Get angry at the regulators who are complicit in this crime. Be outraged at the irresponsible and reckless behavior of all parties involved. Don't just promise to investigate - there is enough evidence of governmental and corporate malpractice right now to take immediate action. Be outraged enough to put a halt to further oil drilling off of our shores, not just temporarily but forever. Be outraged enough to immediately stop the subsidies we give oil companies to drill for our oil in our waters and then keep the oil to sell to the highest bidder. Be outraged enough at the ineffectual and corrupt culture at the agency responsible for overseeing and regulating the oil industry and fire every single upper management person who has been a part of this abysmal and corrupt agency. This simply is not the time to stay above the fray, to appear to be aloof. It certainly is not a time to be out and about fundraising. It is not a time to be taking vacations, no matter how well deserved. This is a time to be visibly present at the scene of the worst environmental disaster to hit our nation in decades; present in both body and spirit. Be there, Mr. President. And please, I beg of you - be outraged.
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