I Know! Blame George Bush!

Today is May 28, 2010. It has been 493 days since George W. Bush left office and Barak Obama took over. That's why I almost fell off the bed as I heard a recap from the president's press conference yesterday. I was stunned as I heard him suggest that the BP oil spill may not have happened had the Bush administration been less cozy with big oil. Likewise, I was bewildered as he reassured a skeptical Washington Press Corp that he wakes up with the spill on his mind and goes to bed with the spill on his mind.

Huh?

Wasn't it President Obama who received $77,051 dollars from BP when he ran for office,the company's largest campaign donation? For that matter, wasn't it president Obama that we've seen on the golf course, at the White House Correspondents Dinner, welcoming the Yankees to the White House, playing basketball, and hosting a Cinco de Mayo party while Gulf coast residents and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal begged for some kind of assistance?

Of course the president has to multi-task and recreate even in the face of a crisis, but most of us learned as young adults that "appearances" do matter. We also learned that if you're in charge you don't try to put the blame on someone else. It's just not presidential. In this case it's just sad.

When the best the president could come up with was putting the blame on the former administration, it once again, became painfully obvious that he still doesn't have a definitive plan for bringing an end to the crisis. It also proves that the president needs to get a thicker skin when facing the criticism that in this case he deserves.

I have had many liberal friends of mine tell me and other conservatives to "get over it, Barak has won," each time we complain about this policy or that. I've had his call for change and his popular vote win, thrown out as the reason we conservatives should just shut up. I've even heard of conservatives being called racist for simply questioning the often poor judgement that the president has utilized, and yes, I've heard my liberal friends blame George Bush for the mess that we're currently in.

493 Days. It would seem that would be enough time for the president to start preaching the liberal mantra. He did win, and the conservatives lost. George Bush is gone Mr. President, and you have the Congressional majority that you need to save us from the prior administration's evils.

So now in the words of Nike, Just Do It! Stop blaming others for BP's mistake. Stop "thinking" about the problems in the Gulf and push forward to fix them. After all, in four years you don't want the next administration pointing the finger at you.

Who wants to Vacation in Hell?

One of the saddest images on the news right now is oil covered pelicans flopping around on the beaches of Louisiana. As the BP spill enters it's fifth week, CNN reports that the company has started a "goodwill" campaign by promising to bear all costs associated with the clean up. They've also given $25 million dollars to the state of Florida to promote tourism, with most dollars going to the Panhandle area, where vacation bookings are at a standstill. Today, as the company tries yet another method to stop the leak, one has to question just how much goodwill is really involved.

First, 21 miles of coastline has already been destroyed. It will not be restored. It's done. Gone. The fishing industry along the coast continues to lose millions with small bait and tackle shops, boat rentals and other associated businesses facing bankruptcy. The regional travel and tourism industry is already chalking up 2010 as a total failure. One would imagine that for those who've lost their livelihood, the idea that BP will pick up the clean up cost, or help promote tourism, provides little comfort, even if they are naive enough to believe it.

With the governmental cap placed at $75 million, BP can certainly come up with the cash, but ultimately we'll be paying the cost at the gas pump. Within the past few years we've seen $4 per gallon for gas, with an active hurricane season getting the blame for the price hike. Imagine what will happen as the destruction toll continues to climb in the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history. Is $5-$6 dollars per gallon really an inconceivable figure? I don't think so.

As someone who sells advertising for a living I am the first to champion its value, but can a bunch of TV spots really make an impact on an area where the summer tourism season is over before it started? I've even cancelled my own panhandle vacation in spite of there being no oil on the beaches -- yet. It's hard to be optimistic when the annual 4th of July Fishing Tournament in Pensacola has already been cancelled.

Meanwhile, BP CEO Tony Hayword continues his mantra of optimism on CNN, as another attempt to stop the spill gets underway this morning. He's convinced that this latest attempt at sealing the spill with mud and cement will work. He's convinced (in his words) that this will only have a moderate longterm impact on the region. He was convinced he had the answers yesterday and the day before that.

Ultimately the best "goodwill" measure by BP would be to admit that they are solely responsible for destroying much of a region that has already been devastated in years past by natural disasters. Tony Hayword and other executives need to show "goodwill" by stepping down. President Obama needs to get busy (instead of just threatening to) and let the government take over the clean up. The region is being destroyed and no amount of goodwill or travel promotion can stop it.

So what are the answers? Only the environmentalists can truly assess the permanent damage. But one thing is perfectly clear. It's not going to do a whole lot of good to encourage vacationers to come to the Gulf Coast this summer, if the area is under a blanket of oil when they arrive. It's also unlikely that travelers will come, if gas is so high they can't afford to get there in the first place.