[T]he real story here is that BP had already made the decision to set aside $20 billion to compensate those harmed by this tragic disaster several days prior to the President’s speech. The true outrage is that this was never the President’s idea at all, and he should be ashamed for pretending it was for political purposes.
On Thursday, Rep. Anh "Joseph" Cao told me that he pressed BP on the fund idea a month ago, inspired by the example of Exxon after its 1989 spill off the coast of Alaska. And on Friday I talked with Ray McKinney, another engineer, who is running for Congress in Georgia against Rep. John Barrow (D-Ga.). McKinney stressed that there was no serious disagreement about the escrow issue, and said Democrats were concocting a political debate when all that mattered was making BP pay and investigating the disaster.
"I think what the government has done has been totally mis-focused," said McKinney. "What I hear when I turn on my radio, is a stupid statement some congressman made, and that's what everyone focuses on. There's a lot of finger pointing and a lot of blame, but everyone agrees we've got to finish the relief well and get to the bottom of why this disaster happened."
http://voices.washingtonpost.
Basically, BP had already decided on the escrow fund (an action most prudent corporations would do), and Obama and BP announced it at the White House, both for their own PR purposes.
In the end, politics as usual but hardly a "Chicago-style shakedown".
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Thx, A. Gosh, so first they're mad about the "shakedown", and now they're mad that Obama was passing the account off as his idea? In this case, I don't think the public will say, "Shame on you, Obama!" for the escrow account, even if he is trying to take more credit for the idea than deserved. I don't think many Americans outside of the oil industry or irrationally anti-Obama circles will sympathize with BP on this one. As you said, the consensus is that BP + affiliates are 100% at fault and should pay for the damages 100%. So what's the difference, $20B now or later? Sure there may be some hokey claims filed here and there (as was the case after 9/11, and many of them were paid with little investigation!), but in general I think Americans want to see John Q. Fisherman or B&B owner given a lifeline so they don't plunge into financial ruin, for the short-term at least.
I think Obama entered the White House wanting to really be taken seriously as a legit statesman and C-in-C. So he and his people did all they could to distance themselves from the Obamania idol worship. "It's not about me, it's about we, and what we need to get done for America." But now, after all the ridiculous attacks and hits to his approval rating, I think he has to confront the issue and make it about him sometimes, because it is. I know he's not a complainer, cynic, or excuse-man, but he's got to fire back at these GOP idiots who are really only interested in his downfall, no matter the cost to the nation they profess to love. He's a polite guy and a consensus builder, but by now he should see that all but a handful of GOP lawmakers want to seriously work with him.
I wish he would say, "Some Republicans are fighting me every step of the way, uselessly criticizing every minute detail of my presidency instead of working hard for big picture solutions. Some people don't want change that may compromise their fortunate position in society, so they prefer to side with big banks and polluters like BP, instead of supporting me to rein in Wall Street excesses and compensate the victims of the spill. They fabricate controversies out of false claims or completely uncontroversial issues that have major public approval. They just want to confuse you about me, so my party and I lose big in elections. I'm not a miracle worker and I make mistakes, but I am not what they say I am. America, I want you to know that I took the hardest job in the world at one of the hardest times in our history because I know this great nation's potential, and we're not there, partly because of greed, egos, and corruption in politics. 'Yes we can' only works when we work together. I hope you will recognize that some of your elected leaders don't want that. They want to see me (and us) fail so badly, that they will sacrifice all our futures for their petty 'thwart and blame Obama' game. We don't have a moment to waste, and we've squandered too many opportunities. Terrorism, health care, climate change, energy, and financial reform aren't going away, even if I'm not in office. Much of the GOP have zero helpful ideas for these global problems and sometimes even deny their existence. So instead of falling for distractions like my citizenship status, please help me put pressure on the negative influences in Washington to either get them to finally do the people's work, or send them home in disgrace like they deserve."
It is about Obama, and I can't help but conclude that the utter disrespect for his office must be partially due to race. He's not a self-made joke like Nixon or Clinton. He hasn't done anything terrible yet, and is mostly "no drama Obama". Can you imagine our generals showing such public insubordination to even a buffoon like Bush? The military loved Bush, even though he was responsible for 5,000 of their brothers and sisters dead and many more wounded, with little improvement to our national security. I'm actually surprised that McChrystal got fired, because it makes the Obama admin. look a little thin skinned, but I'd rather have an overly sensitive civilian leadership than a military that answers to no one like Pakistan.
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