The first (second) oil spill head rolls: Obama “fires” MMS head; Update: Obama assails dumb Americans for failing to appreciate his rescue efforts, whiffs on MMS questions, drags Malia into the fray
Scroll down for Obama press conference updates…
News leaking ahead of President Obama’s scheduled 12:45pm Eastern press conference today: the first head has been delivered.
Via AP:
Democratic sources say the Obama administration has fired the head of the U.S. Minerals Management Service in response to blistering criticism over lax oversight of offshore drilling.
The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity before the official announcement, tell The Associated Press that President Barack Obama will announce the decision Thursday.
Meanwhile, there are reports that BP’s “Top Kill” strategy to plug the leak is working:
BP has stopped the flow of oil and gas from a ruptured well into the Gulf of Mexico, a US official told local media.
The company’s “top kill” effort has “stabilised the wellhead”, Coast Guard commander Thad Allen said, adding that it was too early to declare success.
This is the first step, using mud, in BP’s plan to seal the well for good with cement.
Eleven workers were killed in the initial explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig five weeks ago.
***
Make that the second head to hit the ground. As I noted last week, MMS official Chris Oynes resigned after news of the agency’s 2009 safety award for Deepwater Horizon surfaced.
***
Critics on both the left and right want to know: What about Heckuva Job Kenny Salazar?
***
1:00pm Eastern Summary of Obama’s oil spill remarks: Bush at fault. Cozy regulators at fault. Solution: More government, no more drilling.
Obama defends his sluggish response by criticizing dumb Americans. Bottom line: You all are too stupid and uninformed to realize that this has been his “highest priority” and that the White House has been “singularly focused” on the oil spill.
Obama: “Those who think we were slow in our response or lacked urgency don’t know the facts.”
That’s always his excuse.
Obama writes his own self-aggrandizing history: “I’m confident that people are going to look back and say that this administration was on top of what was an unprecedented crisis.”
1:42pm Eastern. Obama insists he is working with full urgency on the issue, but refuses to take ownership of firing MMS head Liz Birnbaum. He said he only found out about it this morning when he was “busy with other things” (um, wasn’t he “singularly focused” on oil spill?) and that he is unclear about the circumstances of her stepping down.
Dragging his daughters into the public fray again: “Did you plug the hole yet, Daddy?”
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Oil leak fixed just a few hours before Barry’s first news conference in 309 days…wow, how lucky can one guy get?
Can’t wait to see which leftist crony he uses to fill those positions.
I hope Andy Stern enjoys his new office!
This is the time when the seas stop rising. Obama (PBUH) has done it! It only took 5 weeks!
/sarc
Ballast off a sinking ship. The President’s response to this major disaster has been weak, slow, ambivalent and accusatory. Any true leader knows a) when there is a crisis, it’s all hands on deck to deal with it, and you worry about blame later, and b) If it happens on your watch, you accept responsibility. (BTW – what ever happened to Truman’s “The buck stops here” sign?)
Barry can throw people under the bus all day. He owns this.
What? No way! It must be Obama’s strategy that is working. After all he did scream “Plug the damn leak!” did he not? There ya go.
“Plug the damn leak!”
Thanks El Presidente, we never thought of that. We’ll get right on it.
Was about to make a similar post, RedDog.
Perhaps they’ll offer Sestak the job – if he promises to shut up about them offering him a job.
Now if only El Presidente and the Democrats can figure out how to plug the border leaks. Although Big Sis has warned Arizona to BOLO for Islamos at the border. I so appreciate our steadfast Marxist rulers.
I think Jeremiah Wright should get the job….G-d DAH-YUM that leak!
Obama still has a LOT of ‘splainin to do!! And I hope someone is able to ask..Why is Bobby Jindahl down there BEGGING for a response so he can put his very workable plan in motion. He can’t do anything until the needed booms, etc. are provided and they are apparently sitting elsewhere. Could it be because Jindahl is not of the Progressive persauasion? Nah, that couldn’t be it! Same with Texas being invaded by Somali drug lords, begging for border guards and getting silence in return. If people can’t see the unbelievable bias coming from this POTUS by now, it is hopeless. You are either a progressive, or you. get. nuttin’!
Wow. Obama had to dig pretty low to find someone to fire for this screw-up.
I didn’t even know we had a Minerals Management Service. Why didn’t Obama fire the MMS leader’s boss? Oh, that’s right; Ken Salazar is doing such a bang up job.
Bingo!
swede, you get today’s Blue Ribbon!
Actually, Sestak may end up BEING the plug.
Yeah, firing career civil servants will really impress the American people that you are a competent manager and leader El Presidente. Who gave you that advice? Better that you actually work first to solve problems. You either are creating problems or scapegoating.
Bad enough that this guy is a Marxist and incompetent, but he and his Dem-controlled government are criminally malfeasant. Impeachment now baby. It could not come too soon.
Teh Won’s first responders are blame finders. They didn’t help much with an actual solution though.
LOL. Really. “Let me be clear. My administration is a big ‘effing deal!”
Actually the MMS is THE agency everyone has to deal with in order to drill offshore. They OWN all of the offshore drilling rights and they issue leases as well as monitor drilling activities and enforce compliance with environmental regulations.
Scrappy, Jindal is NOT waiting on Obama, he has decided to do what needs to be done himself and Obama can suck it.
Really? I guess I thought he was waiting for the equipment he needs. I knew he would go ahead and do what he needed to do. But doesn’t he need to wait for the federal govm’t to provide the equipment and get it there? Maybe I’m wrong…that happens to me once in a while!
Wait until oil globs starts washing up on the beaches of West Palm. Good gravy, the outrage from the libs will be deafening.
Chavez does this all the time … doesn’t do any good, but the ignorant like the sacrifices.
Yet another coincidence!
That rant by James Carville will hurt .
I watched it a number of times.
I saw on Fox about an hour ago that BP said that the report that the oil leak had been stopped wasn’t entirely correct. They said they had had “some” success. Don’t know if they have said anything different in the past hour.
I believe Jindal talked about using the National Guard which I think would be under his authority in Lousiana. Whether they would have access to the equipment needed to pile up sand barriers at the barrier islands is another question.
The feds have the booms he needed, but what was really holding him up was the permit to build temporary sand bars offshore to catch the tar. They still haven’t come through.
If Barry had deployed leprechauns to stop the leak 5 weeks ago, he’d be the hero today. Poor resource management.
Problem #1…we have a U.S. Minerals Management Service.
Problem #2…a no-nothing bureaucrat was hired to run the agency.
Problem #3…they’re going to hire another no-nothing bureaucrat to replace the one they fired.
In spite of bureaucrats getting in the way of solutions, the leak is apparently stopped. Maybe we owe this guy our thanks for not helping?
PBO is an epic failure. Kenny Salazar is just as bad and his brother is our congresscritter. Some days I feel it will never end. It just wears me out.
So, is that what he is going to go ahead with and tell Obama to go to he!!? I pray he does it. And I pray it works. Obama will look even more the fool! And Jindahl may just save his beloved state.
“Top Kill” means use the two that were fired to plug the “damn hole”. Unfortunately, two bodies weren’t enough, so who’s next???
Actually the first responders initial action was to talk about the lawsuits.First and foremost.It is a terrible event but the MSM has done nothing but feed the public with fodder for the lawyers and let Oblamer off the hook.
If terrorists had exploded that oil would the administration and Homeland Security still expect to receive a pass?
Isn’t it the government’s responsibility to anticipate these sorts of disasters, natural or man-made, and to have effective plans of action and a store of tools and strategies on hand to solve them?
If not, then why fund these agencies?
I remember some of Obama’s voters saying that now we would see an end to WBush’s “culture of incompetence”. Oh well…
Excellent point!
Well, they DID say they were pumping junk as well to plug up the leaks in the BOP to cut down on mud losses….
Well said. Too bad our Congress does not understand this principle. The reason we have such incompetence in government oversight is that ther is poor management and little to no accountability.
These disasters illustrate why government is so frequently and miserably ineffective at those things we task them to do. There are few people outside the military who are willing and able to take personal initiative and responsibility.
We need oversight of the regulators to ensure they are doing their jobs. But the gargantuan nature of the federal bureaucracy makes this virtually impossible. Can you say “Downsize the government now.”?
Scrappy, if you’ll scroll up and look to the right you will see this:
http://michellemalkin.com/2010/05/24/louisana-gov-jindal-blasts-obama-inaction-moves-on-sand-booms/
Affirmative. And let’s not forget the warped sense of priorities. Jindal couldn’t move ahead with the sand barriers because the feds wanted to do an environmental impact study on the barriers. Millions of gallons of raw crude washing into wetlands, and they are worried about the environmental impact of piling up some sand to stop it?
“Those who think we were slow in our response or lacked urgency don’t know the facts.”
Yes, I’m sure if this “Top Kill” method works we will later find out from the MSM how Obama, Axelrod and Rahm came up with that idea in a brainstorming session in the Oval office and BP was just too greedy and evil to try it.
I concur, but would go one step farther. When the Government has oversite of something, telling you what to do, and how to do it, and setting the saftey parameters of a project… do they not become RESPONSIBLE?
One of the major problems we have in American today, is a disconnect between authority, and responsibility. Folks are making decisions constantly (the Fed Res bank…) for which NO ONE holds them responsible…. like Congress and Freddie and Fannie.
Heck, in the Bush Whitehouse NO ONE was ever fired, even for the whole Iraq WMD debacle… or the lack of Border Security… or heck, even 9/11…
Washington is all about Authority, without responsibility… and BOTH sides do it.
I am not listening to this bho, I can not stand to hear his voice, but what Rush is saying about this press show, why don’t I believe one word out of this bho mouth? When this bho opens his mouth, a lie comes out. He sure thinks we American’s are stupid!
L
I heard Pelosi on the radio news today say that this firing was because the agency was packed with Bush appointees and it was time to start cleaning it out.I knew they would find a reason to blame Bush.
I don’t know why he didn’t just part the waters so they just walk down and fix it.
Pretty simple… the Mesiah just walked on the water… it was Moses who parted it… so it would break the meme…
Dear Dear Leader
In the real world, folks have a propensity to evaluate people based on results, not how hard they try. We can understand how this would elude you, as you have never had a real job, leave alone management level responsibilities.
Having said that, we Americans must acknowledge our stupidity. We elected you – you freakin’ bone head.
Okay,people. Let’s start picking this statement apart and get at the truth.
I just lost my salami sandwich lunch. How long will the world buy into the “Bush did it” BS? Isn’t it getting really old even for the leftiest of the lefties?
I have seen better explanations from Bart Simpson.
Pathetic.
“You all are too stupid and uninformed to realize that this has been his “highest priority” and that the White House has been “singularly focused” on the oil spill.”
Well, they elected him didn’t they? Maybe he’s right!
That didn’t take long.
Obama is the biggest ME MONSTER in the history of politics. Nobody thinks more of themselves or talks more about how great they are than this guy. Me, me, me, I, I, me, I, me, me, I, me, I, me, ME, ME, ME, ME, ME, ME…
Interesting, isn’t it, that Obama was on TV every single day touting the health”care” bill. But we got total silence when this accident happened. And silence for over 30 days. Then, he comes out and takes credit for the success of pugging the dam hole. And then, he blames us for not knowing that he has been “on the job since day one.” Sorry, but I really loathe that creep.
Did anyone consider plugging the leak with Obama’s ego. It’s big enough to stop the Gulf Stream.
Can’t wait to see who falls for BHO’s BS on this.
Exactly as planned. This should shut up those “drill baby, drill” heathens.
So he expects us to believe those golf outings were high powered strategy sessions? The Boxer fundraisers were consultations with experts? Bull.
Obama’s message cannot be diluted -
One teaspoon of Obama rhetoric – added to 5 gallons of water – still equals pure bullsh*t.
BP donated more money to Hussein the Treasonous than any other politician in the last two decades…
Maybe the bribes are still working for BP, their competitors getting slammed in the wallet as much, maybe even more, than BP is.
Link
Obama has had his people at Interior and MMS almost a year and a half, and its still Bush’s fault.
The sad thing, the drive-by media will run with that.
Um, no–that’s the opposite of the truth.
We do know the facts. Your priorities were elsewhere. You spoke two lies.
Woops! The MMS website still has a picture of Lizzy on the front page.
Docflash, I like the “OBlamer” handle. There are many, many times we can use it, interchangeably, of course, with The WON.
How did Bush appoint her?
I thought belaPiglosi said it’s Bush’s appointees’ fault, so he must have appointed her in 2009. hmmmm.
Per this logic: Airliners occasionally crash. All air travel should be halted immediately. (On any given flight you have a .0000000003% probabability of dying)
Correct me if I’m wrong, but is this not the first offshore drilling oil spill in the US in 90 years of drilling?
Ya! What were people thinking? Criticizing the Pres. while he was OBVIOUSLY focusing on the efforts to stop the oil.
He may have looked like he was staring at a golf ball, but he was really studying the situation in the Gulf.
Rhamboy is probably giddy with the prospect of not letting a good crisis go to waste so he can usher in more govt. control.
“Did you plug the hole yet, Daddy?”
This supposedly from Obama’s daughter.
Everything’s always about him, isn’t it?
Barf!
Salazar’s Chief of Staff went rafting three days after the spill, why wasn’t he fired?
Obamao was, and is, singularly focused on the sound of his voice. The words he used to expound on whatever item he chose to use as “focus” for his lecture were just that, “WORDS”! His meandering response to the questions posed by the suddenly alert newsmen belied nothing! He was ponderously awkward. Heh! ;D
Com’on guys! Believe him when he says he is both incharge, but not responsible, for the slow response. You were all expected to clap your hands in heavy applause!
There was a small oil spill in an unfortunate place from a blowout off Santa Barbara, CA in 1969.
33 rigs, about 600 employees soon to be jobless. Companies near me like FMC that build deepwater subsea wellheads will soon be laying off hundreds, Petroleum Helicopters and AirLog will be laying off pilots and mechanics, supply boays will be idled and their crews unemployed. Platform construction in shipyards for the deepwater wells will be suspended.
Obama probably put tens of thousands of people out of work just on that. But mostly bitter clingers in states like Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.
Not to mention the ripple effect as engineers and geologists get laid off in New Orleans and Houston.
Obama pwned by Michelle Malkin!
Rush was having a ball today with the ‘did you plug the hole yet daddy’. It was so funny. It seems this bho and mo use their kids when they think they need to. Rush used the YOU part daddy. The big ‘daddy’ of the U.S. comes to save us all!
L
See, if Bill Clinton had been president then he would have had that hole tapped and filled on the first day. Baracks just not representin’ like he should.
If Chelsea had asked it would have been “Sure did Darlin, just dont tell your mom”
Good point! ED #75 – and, think about the fishing, tourism, and ecological industries in Louisiana – all shot and thousands of job losses (at least for this year) because Obeyme was busy with other things. I hope State Governors are paying attention – want something done you gotta do it yourself. God Bless Governor Jindal and the people of LA, and Governor Brewer and the people of AZ.
Sitting in OHare airport at the moment and they are talking about shutting the place down for two hours while Obama comes in. I didnt realize AirForceOne was a United Airlines flight and had to layover in Chicago
“…don’t know the facts.”
MmmHmm. I know some facts. I know where I was born and who my Daddy is. And I know my Mother didn’t sleep around.
What else? You bowed to a Saudi Royal. You have destabilized Israel’s role in the world. You have made it safer for dictatorial regimes in the West to get cozy with Iran.
You have allowed Hezbollah to install SCUD missles in Lebanon for use against Israel. Your $1billion cash gift to Hamas is buying weaponry for the coming war with Israel.
What else? You are a Muslim sympathizer. Your Whitehouse.gov website is a public relations slick piece which covers up your anti-constitutional republic agenda. You have hoodwinked a lot of naive war-weary youth in this country.
You have turned your back on our allies and brought about conditions for all out war, the likes of which this world has never seen.
You have allowed Hillary Clinton and George Mitchell to hang out to dry on MIddle East Policy.
You are about to hire a pro-Muslim chief of national intelligence.
You are the most transparently socialist politician ever to be elected President.
One world government plots have always failed. Your cabal’s fate will be no different.
Millions will die as a result.
Bear1909 out.
Given time (shorter than critics say I think), these industries will return in short order once nature starts cleansing the mess (the far greater Mexico spill is hardly to be seen). It’s the oil related jobs that’ll never return by the fickle laws of man, not nature.
James Greenidge
Queens NY
Thank you stupid white people!
Is there someway to start a rumor that Pelosi is a Bush appointee??
Remember when Pres. Carter asked Amy for advice? Why do all the “smart Presidents” have to get their children’s input?
So we are to stop offshore drilling because of an accident, hmm…! Why didn’t we close all the military bases after the Fort Hood attack? Would he have closed New York if the bomb went off in Times Square or stopped all flights if the underpants bomb went off?
Hey, I just thought about something. We have a big leak on our southern border so, why doesn’t he “Plug the damn hole!”
If it all falls apart soon enough they can always get jobs at the Census Bureau. I hear they’re hiring, firing, hiring, firing. Each hire counts as a new job in ObamaWorld.
“Did you plug the hole yet, Daddy?”
This is a Jimmy Carter moment!
Am i the only one that remembers Jimmy Carter, during one of his debates, saying he discussed nuclear weapons with is young daughter Amy? It seemed like BS when Carter said it and this Obama comment has the same smell of BS.
Or at least as some thickener for the cement!
I think Bubba Clinton forced Janet Reno to put it on the dash of her red pickup.
I was thinking exactly this earlier today but couldn’t post that thought.
I was too busy working supporting far too many welfare dependents.
“Did you plug the hole yet, Daddy?”
No, there’s not enough Haliburton mud in the whole world to plug “THE HOLE” in Mr. Obama’s face. That thing keeps spewing BS at a prodigious rate and causing a substantial outpouring of greenhouse gases.
I couldn’t watch Barry’s news conference,(I woulda puked), but I saw a snippet of it on O’Reilly. Barry was saying he didn’t approve of the Arizona immigration law, yada, yada, then he said he wanted the illegals to pay “back taxes”. When he says crap like that why does no one ever remind him that these are mostly people who pay NO federal income tax, and many would get the reverse income tax, or welfare, called the “earned income tax credit”. Instead of illegals paying back taxes, they probably intend to send them back earned income tax credits.
Birnbaum under the bus? Seems to me like an ideal stop, a cut-out if you will, to any future investigation of the Obama administration’s actions with the BP rig. Of course, all of Bush stuff is history and subject to all sorts of spin and tale telling. Obama asserted yesterday that Bush’s administration was corrupt. Huh? Where were all those Democrats on this before?
But getting clarity about the details of Salazar/Obama regime will be hard to come by.
One might wonder if Liz will be wearing concrete diving shoes soon.
Dumb Americans did put Bambi in office. But this whole Carville rant is as obvious as his pointy little head-Bambi couldn’t handle the crisis so now it is time for the Adult in the Party (Miss Hillary) to start stepping forward and assume leadership.
Hay Bambi-get out of the water-the sharks are circling. Between five weeks of Secretary Sidebar studying the issue and the Sestak brouhaha we just might have an interesting summer
===
An Armed Society is a polite society.
What a pompous ass. Poor man-child Barry had to give up basketball or golf to speak to the little people.
He is the most repulsive person I have ever seen. That air of arrogance is completely undeserved; his incessant finger pointing is not befitting the high office he holds. He is just a plain old sickening Chicago Thug, and that is all he will ever be.
I noticed the the anointed one placed the blame squarely on the “past administration” for improper behaviors between 2000 – 2008. OK, that means that you are responsible, since after 2008, there was no improper behavior, only gross incompetence from your staff of theoreticians, people who have never produced anything nor met a payroll. I went to High School with Dr. Chu, who is a Noble Prize winning Physicist, not a petroleum engineer, and we know of the value now of a Nobel Prize. Your EPA head is an ex-gofer for an ex governor, your Homeland Security Head is hopelessly incompetent, and Salazar’s people were so concerned from Day-1, they took a raft trip. Way to go, clowney!
I have often wondered how this man became a force in politics, since from everything I have read, he has never had an original idea, but has exhibited a propensity to be molded to fit what ever doctrine his handlers have set for him, thus the dependence on Teleprompters. His notable lack of achievement is evident if one takes the time to really explore his history, and one does have to question why a black, intelligent, articulate, Harvard Law graduate wasn’t besieged by offers from law firms, but took a position as a community organization gofer. Enter Michelle O, with her retinue of left wing (some say Maoist) supporters, and he rockets up. What part does Michelle O have in determining the direction of ‘Change’ in this administrations policies?
As Louis Farakahn remarked, “Before he was elected, he was selected.”
He is the face of what Glenn Back calls The Machine.
Fearless Leader and his boot licking minions own this, no amount of finger pointing will get him out of this one. Now correst me if I am wrong but – isn’t the States territotial limit set at 3 miles and from that limit out is Federal? Oh, “Did you plug the hole yet, Daddy?” I am sorry, Michelle is so busy planting that garden and telling people what they are allowed to eat that she just does not have the time.
As Aaron Klein says “The Manchurian President”
That is correct, and according to law, the Feds are responsible for it.
Is it just me or does Obama have this annoying speech impediment of whistling through his teeth on words ending in “S”? It’s like nails on a blackboard to me. And what’s with the constant “Let me be clear…”? OK, be clear already. We’re waiting… This guy is the greatest double-talker in the history of mankind.
We have no doubt he was groomed for this takeover with deep roots in Chicago…maybe it was the ability to look down his nose and still read a teleprompter that sealed the deal. His voice and arrogance sicken me. Our grandson is in Afghanistan – my brother is on Eternal Patrol – I want to live long enough to see this phony impeached for treason.
The real question is; How much damage can this “hologram” inflict on our Nation, before we manage to neutralize him and his “Band of Merry Morons”?