Obama compares the oil spill to 9/11

[Just Plain Ruff]

Hot on the heels of the mosque discussion. Obama likens the oil spill to 9/11 - Agree or disagree

Read the article before you respond please.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/06/14/2010-06-14_bam_spill_will_hurt_like_911_it_will_shape_how_we_think_for_years.html

[HERBIE1]

Disagree- on so many levels. By making such a comparison, Obama is positioning himself to steer public policy towards his green agenda. Agree with Obama or not, agree with oil companies as being the antichrist or not, this is wrong. This is exactly what Obama's advisers have said in the past: "Never let a good crisis go to waste"- meaning use a disaster to gain a political advantage.

2012 cannot come soon enough.

[tniuqs]

WASHINGTON - President Obama, in a stark and striking comparison, said the devastating impact of the BP disaster on the national psyche "echoes 9/11."The endlessly spewing oil rig off the Gulf Coast - like the terror attacks of 2001 - will influence the nation's future long after the crisis passes, the President said in a provocative Oval Office interview with Politico."In the same way that our view of our vulnerabilities and our foreign policy was shaped profoundly by 9/11, I think this disaster is going to shape how we think about the environment and energy for many years to come," Obama added in language that underscored his new sense of urgency about the disaster.The interview, conducted Friday, was released Sunday - and sparked an instant debate among some 9/11 family members."I think he's off-base," said ex-FDNY Deputy Chief Jim Riches, whose son died at the World Trade Center. "These were terrorist attacks, these 9/11 murders, not something caused by people trying to make money." Sally Regenhard, who also lost a son, said she could see some validity to the comparisons."Just like on 9/11, there were no plans for emergency preparedness, coordination of response," she said. "It's a failure of the system and the government. I'm not offended by the comment." But Jack Lynch, whose firefighter son Michael was killed in 2001, felt Obama misspoke."To compare an environmental accident, if that's what you call it, to a premeditated terrorist attack is ridiculous," he said. "Politicians have no sense of reality."Obama wasn't the first to draw parallels between the terrorist attacks and the still-spreading Gulf of Mexico spill, with columnists and others describing the disaster as an "environmental 9/11."Obama's take on the crisis came as he prepared to give BP an ultimatum this week: Show me the money - or else.Obama will deliver a prime-time speech tomorrow and face down BP executives a day later to show them, and his legion of critics, that he means business.White House officials said they want BP to hand over billions of dollars to an escrow account run by an independent third-party panel.The aim is to guarantee payment of the mountain of claims left behind by the endless stream of oil gushing in the gulf."We want to make sure that money is escrowed for the legitimate claims that are going to be, and are being made, by businesses down in the gulf - people who've been damaged by this," senior adviser David Axelrod said on NBC's "Meet the Press." And if BP doesn't set aside the cash voluntarily, officials signaled, Obama is ready to unleash Justice Department lawyers to go after it.

Proof positive that one cannot please everyone, but the jury is still out on this topic as we haven't even seen the tip of the iceberg as long term fallout, far more deaths could result as the entire fishing industry in the GOM and beyond ! Just wait till the oil starts washing up on the shores of Cuba or Jamaica / the entire Caribbean archipelago and how that will factor into world politics ... sheesh what a freaking mess.

The point(s) Obama makes is lack preparedness By Governments AND Oil company), the extremely POOR coordination of response +++, No mention that the USCG put the fire OUT possibly compounding the environmental devastation ? oops outside voice again.

Maybe BP should build an Off Shore Floating Hotel or a Eco-tour Cruise ship or maybe a Shrine to the Global Oil Giants, to demonstrate BPs commitment to the People of the Gulf Coast Line ? <insert sarcasm>

Edited June 14, 2010 by tniuqs

[paramedicmike]

The point the President is attempting to make is a valid one. However, he could have communicated his ideas in a much clearer manner. As such, given the emotional reaction brought on by mention the 9/11 attacks, people will easily ignore the point he's trying to make and misconstrue his comments.

[tniuqs]

Oddly enough here's a few quotes from that Brilliant Public Speaker, Obama's predesesor:

20. "The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him." --Washington, D.C., Sept. 13, 2001

19. "I don't know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority." --Washington, D.C., March 13, 2002

18. "So what?" –President Bush, responding to a an ABC News correspondent who pointed out that Al Qaeda wasn't a threat in Iraq until after the U.S. invaded, Dec. 14, 2008

17. "Can we win? I don't think you can win it." --after being asked whether the war on terror was winnable, "Today" show interview, Aug. 30, 2004

16. "I just want you to know that, when we talk about war, we're really talking about peace." --Washington, D.C. June 18, 2002

15. "I trust God speaks through me. Without that, I couldn't do my job." --to a group of Amish he met with privately, July 9, 2004

14. "Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed." --speaking underneath a "Mission Accomplished" banner aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, May 1, 2003

13. "We found the weapons of mass destruction. We found biological laboratories ... And we'll find more weapons as time goes on. But for those who say we haven't found the banned manufacturing devices or banned weapons, they're wrong, we found them." --Washington, D.C., May 30, 2003

12. "Those weapons of mass destruction have got to be somewhere!" --joking about his administration's failure to find WMDs in Iraq as he narrated a comic slideshow during the Radio & TV Correspondents' Association dinner, Washington, D.C., March 24, 2004 (Read more)

11. "I'll be long gone before some smart person ever figures out what happened inside this Oval Office." --Washington, D.C., May 12, 2008

This is NOT the Top ten either !

At least Obama can make some sense, even if it is a touch politically sensitive in the comparison. I would hazard a guess he is apprised of a bit more intel than WE the general masses of people.

Edited June 14, 2010 by tniuqs

[medicKristina]

The point(s) Obama makes is lack preparedness By Governments AND Oil company), the extremely POOR coordination of response +++, No mention that the USCG put the fire OUT possibly compounding the environmental devastation ? oops outside voice again.

I think this is the main objective of the article - that once again we as a country were caught off guard by a disaster that has horrible fall out. At no point was this serious possibility considered. The mechanism was even called a "fail safe". I consider the oil companies to be egocentric and to have a slight god-complex. I think that President Obama was simply bringing forth a sad truth - that if we all live in our bubbles of "That will never happen to ME" then we will sadly be far behind most disasters and tragedies. Playing "catch-up" is never a great place to maneuver from.

For the record, I am NOT pro-Obama, I am pro-USA and whoever can give us the best outcome (i.e. Independent)

[scubanurse]

Oddly enough here's a few quotes from that Brilliant Public Speaker, Obama's predesesor:

This is NOT the Top ten either !

At least Obama can make some sense, even if it is a touch politically sensitive in the comparison. I would hazard a guess he is apprised of a bit more intel than WE the general masses of people.

Love how he contradicted himself in 20 and 19...do you have the link for this? or the top ten? my mom would get a kick outta this

[BushyFromOz]

In the same way that our view of our vulnerabilities and our foreign policy was shaped profoundly by 9/11, I think this disaster is going to shape how we think about the environment and energy for many years to come," Obama added in language that underscored his new sense of urgency about the disaster.

Whats to get offended about, seems like a reasonable analogy to me?

What if he said...

In the same way that our view of major disaster managament and mass casualty incidents were shaped profoundly by hurricane katrine, I think this disaster is going to shape how we think about the environment and energy for many years to come," Obama added in language that underscored his new sense of urgency about the disaster.

Or is that too offensive to people in St Louis?

[BlissEMT]

I can understand what he is saying. It's a valid point. I think the reason this is causing a problem is because he used the word "echoes" which, to a lot of people, means "repeats" or "parallels", which is slightly exaggerated.

Do I personally think the relation of the Gulf oil spill to 9/11 is appropriate? In terms of our country's lack of preparation and emergency response, yes. In the way we will change our ways of thinking about certain things in the near, and far, future, yes. In terms of what parts of our country's 'psyche' will be affected, no. But, he was not saying this oil spill will put our country in fear for repeat spills, so I think he covered that base.

[HERBIE1]

Proof positive that one cannot please everyone, but the jury is still out on this topic as we haven't even seen the tip of the iceberg as long term fallout, far more deaths could result as the entire fishing industry in the GOM and beyond ! Just wait till the oil starts washing up on the shores of Cuba or Jamaica / the entire Caribbean archipelago and how that will factor into world politics ... sheesh what a freaking mess.

The point(s) Obama makes is lack preparedness By Governments AND Oil company), the extremely POOR coordination of response +++, No mention that the USCG put the fire OUT possibly compounding the environmental devastation ? oops outside voice again.

Maybe BP should build an Off Shore Floating Hotel or a Eco-tour Cruise ship or maybe a Shrine to the Global Oil Giants, to demonstrate BPs commitment to the People of the Gulf Coast Line ? <insert sarcasm>

Point of information-

The National Geographic Channel had a special on the spill-and covered up to 30 days after the explosion. The Coast Guard did NOT put out that fire- it was fire boats from neighboring oil rigs. The USCG was involved in search and rescue. The oil companies contacted specialists who dealt with off shore fires(as is standard procedure), but by the time they got to the site, the fire was out(the rig had already sunk). So, if putting the fire out was a mistake, then it is on the oil companies, not the USCG. The point was, first they were trying to save the workers by putting out the fire, and obviously keep the rig from sinking. The fire was simply too intense- they couldn't get anywhere near the rig before it sank.