Wash. Post's Applebaum: Oil spill is not Obama's "Katrina"

[babylonsister]

http://mediamatters.org/blog/201006150002

Wash. Post's Applebaum: Oil spill is not Obama's "Katrina"
June 15, 2010 6:59 am ET by Jocelyn Fong


We noted that media conservatives rushed to absurdly compare the Obama administration's response to a catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico to the Bush Administration's botched response after Hurricane Katrina, a hurricane that left more than 1,500 dead. The oil spill is the latest in a long line of events that media figures have called "Obama's Katrina."

In her Washington Post column today, Anne Applebaum counters this claim, stating, "Other than proximity to the Louisiana coast, this catastrophe has nothing in common with Hurricane Katrina":

In the Gulf of Mexico, plumes of black oil are gushing into the ocean, coating the wings of seabirds, poisoning shellfish, sending tar balls rolling onto white Florida beaches. It is an ecological disaster. It is a economic nightmare. And there is absolutely nothing that the American president can do about it. Nothing at all.

Here is the hard truth: The U.S. government does not possess a secret method for capping oil leaks. Even the combined wisdom of the Obama inner circle -- all of those Harvard economists, silver-tongued spin doctors and hardened politicos -- cannot prevent tens of thousands of tons of oil from pouring out of hole a mile beneath the ocean surface. Other than proximity to the Louisiana coast, this catastrophe has nothing in common with Hurricane Katrina: That was an unstoppable natural disaster that turned into a human tragedy because of an inadequate government response. This is just an unstoppable disaster, period. It will be a human tragedy precisely because no government response is possible.

[Bitwit1234]

1. Wonder how long before she is threatened and the Post

has to retract it. The republicans will mess their pants til they do. But this is one time the MSM is 100% correct. There is nothing the government can do except offer all the help they have available, which they have done. The fault lies with and will forever lie with BP and the oil companies for not having a solution. But most of all for not having preventive measures installed before the catastrophe happened.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

5. BP was negligent

also something can go wrong with safety mechanisms no matter how much legislation, safety screenings of companies. However, BP were negligent in this case - cutting corners to save money which is inexcusible. Chenobyl was human error like many other disasters. We don't want another Chenobyl or Three Mile Island.

I agree that the US government must tighten up safety of all things that have been deregulated.

[depakid]

2. One key thing it has in common is denial of a potential problem and the failure

to plan ahead.

Not only at the agencies- but during public statements front of all of the American people.

In that sense, it's far worse.

[babylonsister]

4. Bullhockey. Just because you say that doesn't make it so.

Go look up the timeline at media matters. No one denied anything. Blaming bp would be nice, but I see that's not possible for you. At least we're on to you.

[depakid]

8. Same exact sort of deal

Levies in New Orleans were known to be inadequate to withstand a cat 3 hurricane or greater- and appropriations were submitted to Congress throughout the 1990's and 00's- only to be denied.

Scientific modeling in the early 00's showed what might happen- and there was a near miss on New Orleans THE YEAR BEFORE.

This is all on the record- and easy enough for anyone to find and see. Don't take my word for it- look it up for yourself.

So sorry sis- the problem (a large part of which is denial) belongs to folks like you on both sides of the aisle.

Not with those of us who advocate responsible government.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

6. Are you talking about BP's denial?

It knows it has been negligible and it should pay.

[depakid]

10. Corporations are sociopaths- and they'll do whatever thier management thinks they can get away with

if people haven't gotten that clue by now- after all that's gone on in just about every sector of the economy, not sure what it's going to take to drill it though.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

3. The republicans should not use a tragedy like this for political reasons

It is so obvious that the GOP are grasping at straws.

[customerserviceguy]

7. If anything, it resembles the Teheran embassy takeover that bedeviled Carter

Once the news media starts counting up with their "Day XXX of the Crisis" calendar, the story gets erosive to Presidential approval ratings.

[pokercat999]

9. It will be much worse for Obama than Katrina was for Bush.

We all knew Bush didn't give a shit what happened in NOLA or the Gulf Coast. Obama on the other hand probably cares deeply what is happening in this on-going tragedy but seems powerless to do anything about it and there in lies the rub....we expect him to DO SOMETHING! Regardless how unreasonable that expectation is, we are Americans and KNOW the president can fix EVERYTHING.

I don't expect him to do anything unless directed to by his corporate masters, they're running the show and our country.