Nearly a month after the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig ruptured and began polluting the Gulf of Mexico, our Interior Secretary offered the following promise. “If we find that they’re not doing what they’re supposed to be doing, we’ll push them out of the way,” said Ken Salazar. “We’ll push them out of the way.” Hmmm. OK.
Fast forward to today when, during a White House Press conference focusing on the man-made disaster, Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen was asked to respond to the earlier comments of Sec. Salazar. Raising an eyebrow, shrugging his shoulders and turning his palms skyward, he answered the question with a question, “and replace them with what?” He continued that the United States has neither the “competence, capability or capacity” to answer a disaster at 5000 feet beneath the surface of the Gulf.
Moments later on Fox News Studio B with Shepard Smith, White House spokesperson David Axelrod concurred saying the United States was not equipped to take over the sealing of the damaged pipeline. So, bottom line? In spite of all the strong words and soundbites we can’t “push them out of the way.” We don’t need tough words, we need tough actions. We don’t need bravado Mr. Secretary; we need to blow the well, seal it and save the affected Gulf shores.
Though that action will cause British Petroleum to loose not only the oil reservoir but the billions in invested and future dollars, tough luck.
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