Jim Dandy: I fully agree with that.

(V):  You think Obama has handled this oil spill in the right way?

Artful Dodger: Obama was SUPPOSED to be better than that, he aint,and buyer remorse has set in........you do have to give the Olberman's and the Maddow's credit though, the right wing press backed GW no matter what, at least the left is showing objectivity

Jim Dandy:  Not all of the right wing did.  But too many.  And yes, <span>Olberman and Maddow and others do get props for this one.  

Artful Dodger: I think there has been a lot of confusion over the nature and size of the leak. I also think that much of the real effort to seal the leak is through BP and other oil experts. I hear that no matter what when the hurricane season starts those relief oil wells better be in place as no booms or skimmers are gonna make a damn difference.

(V): Hurricanes are the nightmere scenario, it would be raining oil. not men.

Jim Dandy: I don't think there is any technology that could stop oil being blown inland under such conditions.

Realistically.. I cannot understand why BP cut safety, it's not as they don't make enough money already in profit that a few million extra, to have installed the full safety equipment as they were advised to would have made any difference.

Is Capitalism turning into (as some church figures feel) the aNti-ChRisT????

(V): The leak = BPs problem

The cleanup = US government responsibility + BP. But the US government is mandated to protect our shores. The fault for the lack of cleanup falls directly on Obama.

Artful Dodger: So, it falls on Obama, but at the same time Barton,Bachman,and a few other republicans are saying he was too hard on BP?........this was a battle I was sure the republicans would take a pass on.To see certain republicans say Obama has been too hard on BP is not a wise public position.

Jim Dandy: I like Bachman and I'd have to see exactly what she said. But I believe she said that the actions the Obama administration took (and is taking) are outside their constitutional powers. Barton, I believed, was misunderstood. He isn't saying that BP isn't at fault nor shouldn't be held responsible. He is saying that the President and lawmakers are vilifying BP and forcing them to set up a fund and this before a full investigation. It's political grandstanding on the part of Obama IMO.

For the record, I believe that BP hurried the drilling and KNOWINGLY put the operation at risk. And I also believe that when confronted with a potential problem, BP management IGNORED the warnings and soon after all hell broke loose (and 11 people died etc). Is BP at fault? I think it's clear from preliminaries that they are 100% at fault. Should they be held accountable for the LEAK? Yes. 100%. Should they be 100% accountable for the cleanup?

no

It's also the job of the US government to protect our shores. Obama totally blew the cleanup. Obama ignored the problem initially. Why did Obama REFUSE foreign help? Why did Obama wait nearly TWO MONTHS before there was any meaningful response? Why did Obama put a 6 month moratorium on further drilling? How many people did he put out of a job with that stupid decision? And because of Obama's failure to handle the cleanup effectively (his Job -yes BP's job too but the cleanup falls in his lap - that's where the buck stops) many more people will be out of jobs - all thanks to Obama's incompetence. Time will show all these things to be the case. Obama is now back-peddling and trying to shift blame and deflect. It's transparent.

BTW, NONE of that 20 Billion can be caimed by people who's income is affected by the lack of cleanup. The man in charge of the 20 Billion just said that on the tube. Why? Because you can't penalize BP for the government's failure to act. And it's completely clear that Obama failed to act in a timely and efficient way. Other countries, who offered help, have expertise and needed equipment for such cleanups. Obama will have to answer as to why he turned them all away. That's just ONE example of how Obama screwed up big time with regard to this cleanup.

Artful Dodger: Rubbish.. It's not like he lied (like Bush and Iraq re links to 9/11)

Next you'll be saying the Government should walk on water.

(V): Accepting needed help when offered is not like walking on water. Approving the requests of the governor of Louisiana in a timely manner is not like walking on water. Acting immediately in a crisis and showing leadership is not like walking on water. What is expected of Obama is to protect the US and use the power of his office to do all he can to contain this spill. He had the resources and he squandered every opportunity. He failed completely.

Which is why even the LEFT is highly critical of his leadership.

Artful Dodger: ... you never answered what equipment does the USA keep to deal with oil leaks.

btw... I'm neither left or right I'm me!!

Artful Dodger: The public perception is that republicans are defending BP, this plays into the public perception that republicans defend the rich, not a wise stand to take in my opinion,especially in regards to the suffering New Orleans has endured.

I read Barton and those who support him have been disowned by the GOP.

...."only spoke for himself -- that is not mainstream Republican thought."

Jim Dandy: Well I agree that they need to take care not to give that perception. Barton should have chosen his words more carefully. Two Republicans have called for him to step down from his committee.

I don't see anything wrong with Bachman's comments. She wasn't supporting BP at all. Her comments were directed at the Constitutional powers of the President. Nothing wrong with that.

Artful Dodger: I watched her discuss it with O'Rielly, I have to side with Bill.

Jim Dandy: See? Bill is fair and balanced.

Artful Dodger: He has learned to pick his battles more wisely.

Jim Dandy: and he's calmed down a bit. I haven't heard him say "shutup" in a long time.

Artful Dodger: I think Hannity forced him into lower wrung hysteria

Jim Dandy:

June 18, 2010
The liberal blinders lift on Obama
Tony Gallardo

"......Chris Matthews, Keith Olbermann, Howard Fineman, James Carville, and Maureen Dowd simply cannot believe the incompetence of the man they once deified....."

From what I gather from checking out vids of Keith Olbermann, Tony Gallardo is lying.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3ShbO1bJ5o

Anyone who can't see that Obama is an empty suit must have blinders on. He came from nowhere without any real experience and he will most likely go back again

Watching this stuff on Tv is like washing your laundry in the tiolet

GKChesterton: Well I guess the American people thought he was a better choice then McCain and Palin.

GKChesterton: He's a huge disappointment to his base. Not a good place to be for sure. His experience is clearly lacking and he will go down in history as a failed experiment. The sooner the better in my view.

Artful Dodger: If Obama had quit politics election night, he would have rivaled RFK in the "what if" catagory.With some people, less is more.He is in a bad position, he will never be able to excite the public like he did during the campaign, he peaked far too early.His only hope is another lousy crop of Republican opponents, and that's a very real scenario

Panorama tonight on the oil leak.. including talk from an employee on how BP knew that there were problems with the safety equipment before the leak started.

... yet they carried on rather then shut down and fix the problem.

Jim Dandy: That's very true. As for the subject line above, I totally agree. If an election were held today Obama would still win, that's clear from polls. He'll be hard to beat in the next election but the Dems won't be in power most likely.

I think both the Dems and the Repubs have totally lost their way. Repubs especially. Many have turned on the party values one held firm.

McCain would have been a worse choice than Obama. Palin alone would have been better perhaps.

We need term limits and a Constitutional amendment for balanced budgets. And congress has to be on the public health care and retirement plans.

Artful Dodger: Don't get me started on Palin

Jim Dandy:

Obama is making a huge mistake taking Arizona to court. We clearly have a problem with illegals in this country. Most Americans support the law. Obama once again goes against public opinion. Now 51% don't want him reelected. Does he NOT understand politics? He's not doing the Dems any favors.

As I understand it, the Arizona law simply mirrors an already existing Federal law. So it will be on to the Supreme Court for this one. I predict Arizona wins. Obama loses either way.

Thirteen countries offered Obama help. He couldn't get his act together to accept. And things just keep getting worse.

Am I missing something?
BP is supposed to pay all costs, so theoretically anything CNN donates will be deducted from BP's tab

Jim Dandy: Not if you go by the likes of Comic relief and other such charitable organisations.

June 22, 2010
Gen. McChrystal criticized Obama war management in magazine interview
Thomas Lifson
General Stanley McChrystal's career is hanging by a thread in the wake of revelations contained in a forthcoming article in Rolling Stone, quoting the General criticizing President Obama and some of his team members. Gordon Lubold of Politico writes:

The article, titled "The Runaway General," appears in the magazine later this week. It contains a number of jabs by McChrystal and his staff aimed not only at the President but at Vice President Biden, special envoy Richard Holbrooke, Karl Eikenberry, the ambassador to Afghanistan, and others.

McChrystal described his first meeting with Obama as disappointing and said that Obama was unprepared for the meeting.

National Security Advisor Jim Jones is described by a McChrystal aide as a "clown" stuck in 1985.

Others aides joked about Biden's last name as sounding like "Bite me" since Biden opposed the surge.
McChrystal has already apologized publicly:

"It was a mistake reflecting poor judgment and should never have happened," McChrystal said. "Throughout my career, I have lived by the principles of personal honor and professional integrity. What is reflected in this article falls far short of that standard. I have enormous respect and admiration for President Obama and his national security team, and for the civilian leaders and troops fighting this war and I remain committed to ensuring its successful outcome."
The White House flacks at MSNBC's "Morning Joe," where they yesterday confessed to "working with the White House" on talking points, focused on the outrage of criticizing the commander-in-chief, not on the substance of the remarks:

"This general has to be fired, he has to be gone by the end of the day," said Joe Scarborough, on "Morning Joe" on MSNBC.

"Gates and Petraeus have to come out and fire McChrystal." They should have already done it - Petreaus and Gates should have already fired McChrystal."

But firing McChrystal could be a problem for Obama. First is the question of a replacement. Is there anyone as qualified as this widely-respected expert on counter-terror? The war is going badly, and a sudden change in command could make matters worse.

Then there is the awkward question of the substance of the General's remarks, especially about a commander-in-chief who doesn't do his homework. Afghanistan is Obama's war, the one he said we must win. His management of the war may be consistent with his inept, lazy management of the Gulf oil spill. The American people will not be reassured by the appointment of a replacement for McChrystal whose principal qualification is keeping his mouth shut about the incompetence he sees around him in the conduct of war.

I suspect the General assumed some of his remarks, and conversations with others, were off-the-record. The "Morning Joe" crew acknowledged that other senior military figures privately criticize Obama. McChrystal's error appaerently was in trusting a free lance journalist working with Rolling Stone, or perhaps in not clarifying what was off the record.

The article isn't yet publicly available. All we know about it comes from other media sources who have seen advance copies.

Gen. McChrystal is on his way to the White House from the Afghanistan theatre. There will be more news soon.

Creepy Old Man: They have hired extra cleaning staff to help mop the saliva seeping from the offices of Fox News

Jim Dandy: Lol. But what's on MSNs floor?

Creepy Old Man: It will be interesting to watch how this plays out.It boggles the mind to think Gen. McChrystal would not be aware of the stir his comments would cause,it sounds like schoolyard gossip.The thing is, it doesn't just damage Obama, it damages the office of President

Creepy Old Man:

MSNBC first response

http://crooksandliars.com/media/play/wmv/17279/

Jim Dandy: True and no matter one's politics, it's not a good thing to undermine the character of an acting President. When talking to journalists, nothing is ever off the record.

Tuesday: He has to go, no matter what.How his dismissel is carried out should be interesting

Obama Says Oil Spill Is Like 9-11… But Sends Only 20 of 2,000 US Oil Skimmer Boats to Florida Coast
by Jim Hoft
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse…

Last week Barack Obama told Politico that the BP oil spill was like 9-11–
But, it’s been over 60 days since the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion and he’s only sent 20 of 2,000 US oil skimmer boats to the coast of Florida.

Senator George LeMieux of Florida told the Shark Tank that there are only 20 skimmer boats off the coast of Florida out of 2,000 available skimmer boats in the United States. Lemieux says that Obama is afraid to move them to Florida because there won’t be any in place in case there is an oil leak somewhere else.


more have been requested and those requests have been ignored.

Last week, Congresswoman Giffords met with General Patraeus on Capitol Hill. This meeting took place after we have lost over thirty American soldiers in Afghanistan this month. The burning question on Ms. Giffords’ mind was: what are we doing to “green” our bases?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ww0ojjhtGc&feature=player_embedded