The Times—London (May 31)
While Americans once liked “No Drama Obama” and his cool, rational approach to handling disasters, feelings are changing. Now, Americans want superman. “A nation whose distrust of central government has reached a post-Civil War high” now wants “a huge and powerful government to jump in” and fix what is now America’s worst oil spill. Alas, neither Obama nor the government can plug the hole: “That job can only be done by BP.”
While Americans once liked “No Drama Obama” and his cool, rational approach to handling disasters, feelings are changing. Now, Americans want superman. “A nation whose distrust of central government has reached a post-Civil War high” now wants “a huge and powerful government to jump in.” Alas, neither Obama nor the government can plug the hole: “That job can only be done by BP.”
Barron’s (May 8)
The BP oil disaster illustrates Murphy’s Law: everything going wrong at the worst possible time. With over 30,000 wells drilled, the Gulf of Mexico provides 30% of the energy produced in the U.S. Barron’s recently cheered Barack Obama when he pledged to open some new areas to offshore drilling. BP’s still unfolding catastrophe in the Gulf will, however, prompt calls to backtrack. Rare catastrophes will strike, “but restricting the development of the offshore-energy industry will not help the state or the country.”
The BP oil disaster illustrates Murphy’s Law: everything going wrong at the worst possible time. With over 30,000 wells drilled, the Gulf of Mexico provides 30% of the energy produced in the U.S. Barron’s recently cheered Barack Obama when he pledged to open some new areas to offshore drilling. BP’s still unfolding catastrophe in the Gulf will, however, prompt calls to backtrack. Rare catastrophes will strike, “but restricting the development of the offshore-energy industry will not help the state or the country.”
Tags: BP, Gulf of Mexico, Obama, Oil
