Blowing it
I just got back from a trip to the motherland (the UK) - where most of the population was really pissed off about Obama and the handling of the situation with BP.
And I agree.
The thing is, I am also really pissed off at BP for totally blowing, well, everything. And Tony Hayward really does seem like a douche.
First of all - lets deal with the UK press. They for the first time, are anti-Obama. Really anti-Obama. BP is a big part of the British economy, and UK pension plans are huge holders of BP stock. In other words, Obama just fucked over the British population in general. Along with the fact that he has turned out to be a dangerous and self-absorbed idealist with little idea as to how to run a country (called it), the British press no longer love him. They now just see him as one more ideological and idiotic American president.
Furthermore, this seems to be extending to the rest of Europe. The latest article I read from Der Spiegel compared Obama to Jimmy Carter: a one-term ideological president who does not really get anything done.
And the Obama administration's handling of this crises has been terrible. They have not done a damn thing, have just played the "blame BP" game (I suppose it would be hard to blame Bush for this one) and now have "upped the rhetoric" by screwing over and literally shaking down BP (yes - it was a shakedown). In his big speech last week he did not even have the balls to call for some kind of deadline to move to a more environmentally friendly power source. If I were president right now I would be building nuclear plants like amish build farmhouses. He has been a weak whiny little pathetic excuse for a president.
But on the other hand...
It was a series of idiotic "cost-saving" decisions by BP which lead to the blowout. I am sure you have read all about them by now - but basically they cut a lot of corners including some unusual decisions, essentially skipping steps, and ignoring warning signs.
They then lied about how much oil was spilling into the gulf, with estimates now at 60,000bpd when we were told for weeks it was more like 5,000bpd - there is just no way they got it that wrong. Every armchair flow expert estimate from the video was that it was at least 20,000bpd.
Furthermore, the "ultimate failsafe" blowout preventer turns out to have some issues. First of all - most newer ones use two, not just one, shear ram so that if the ram strikes a joint or otherwise fails to work, the second ram can still cut off the flow. The transocean rig (by the will of both them and BP) used only a single shear ram, because it was smaller and lighter (and cheaper). Even if they got just this one thing right, nothing would have happened other than sealing the well.
And then of course you have Tony Hayward. Who has really botched this one up, consistently making stupid comments and failing to see how this is a "big deal". In terms of PR, he gets an F. At at time like this - that is not who you want running the company, even if he is great at other times.
You see, I am very pro-capitalism, and very pro-business, but this has just been a classic example of screwing the pooch on the part of BP. What the hell were they thinking lying about the flow rate, or trying to deny that they had anything to do with causing the accident? Do they not realize the world we live in? Admit your mistakes, be open and honest, and tackle the issue head on (for big issues the media latches onto at least). It also would have given the morally corrupt Obama administration less ability to lord over you (paragons of virtue that they are - politicians and especially populist socialists pretty much trade on being morally superior to others).
Both Obama and BP have quite literally, blown it. Sadly, the result is economic loss, environmental devastation, and a bleak future for getting anything done politically in this country at all.
And I agree.
The thing is, I am also really pissed off at BP for totally blowing, well, everything. And Tony Hayward really does seem like a douche.
First of all - lets deal with the UK press. They for the first time, are anti-Obama. Really anti-Obama. BP is a big part of the British economy, and UK pension plans are huge holders of BP stock. In other words, Obama just fucked over the British population in general. Along with the fact that he has turned out to be a dangerous and self-absorbed idealist with little idea as to how to run a country (called it), the British press no longer love him. They now just see him as one more ideological and idiotic American president.
Furthermore, this seems to be extending to the rest of Europe. The latest article I read from Der Spiegel compared Obama to Jimmy Carter: a one-term ideological president who does not really get anything done.
And the Obama administration's handling of this crises has been terrible. They have not done a damn thing, have just played the "blame BP" game (I suppose it would be hard to blame Bush for this one) and now have "upped the rhetoric" by screwing over and literally shaking down BP (yes - it was a shakedown). In his big speech last week he did not even have the balls to call for some kind of deadline to move to a more environmentally friendly power source. If I were president right now I would be building nuclear plants like amish build farmhouses. He has been a weak whiny little pathetic excuse for a president.
But on the other hand...
It was a series of idiotic "cost-saving" decisions by BP which lead to the blowout. I am sure you have read all about them by now - but basically they cut a lot of corners including some unusual decisions, essentially skipping steps, and ignoring warning signs.
They then lied about how much oil was spilling into the gulf, with estimates now at 60,000bpd when we were told for weeks it was more like 5,000bpd - there is just no way they got it that wrong. Every armchair flow expert estimate from the video was that it was at least 20,000bpd.
Furthermore, the "ultimate failsafe" blowout preventer turns out to have some issues. First of all - most newer ones use two, not just one, shear ram so that if the ram strikes a joint or otherwise fails to work, the second ram can still cut off the flow. The transocean rig (by the will of both them and BP) used only a single shear ram, because it was smaller and lighter (and cheaper). Even if they got just this one thing right, nothing would have happened other than sealing the well.
And then of course you have Tony Hayward. Who has really botched this one up, consistently making stupid comments and failing to see how this is a "big deal". In terms of PR, he gets an F. At at time like this - that is not who you want running the company, even if he is great at other times.
You see, I am very pro-capitalism, and very pro-business, but this has just been a classic example of screwing the pooch on the part of BP. What the hell were they thinking lying about the flow rate, or trying to deny that they had anything to do with causing the accident? Do they not realize the world we live in? Admit your mistakes, be open and honest, and tackle the issue head on (for big issues the media latches onto at least). It also would have given the morally corrupt Obama administration less ability to lord over you (paragons of virtue that they are - politicians and especially populist socialists pretty much trade on being morally superior to others).
Both Obama and BP have quite literally, blown it. Sadly, the result is economic loss, environmental devastation, and a bleak future for getting anything done politically in this country at all.
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