A year into his presidency, George W. Bush announces that he's expanding offshore drilling. His decision removes a ban that spans decades.
In his speech, he tells us:
Under the leadership of Secretary Salazar, we’ll employ new technologies that reduce the impact of oil exploration. We’ll protect areas that are vital to tourism, the environment, and our national security. And we’ll be guided not by political ideology, but by scientific evidence.
A couple of months later, an oil rig blows up, killing 17 people.
'Bush' avoids any press conference where questions can be asked about the rig for the first month of the impending crisis. Instead, he issues reassuring messages telling us that the government is taking care of things. On May 3rd, he says:
Your government will do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to stop this crisisIn the meantime, it is discovered that 'Bush' has received the most amount of cash from BP of any candidate in the previous election. The candidate recieving the 3rd most amount of cash is a 'Republican' senator from Louisiana.
It is then revealed that president's administration did not inspect the oil rig as it was supposed to. AP, using a Freedom of Information act, discovers that part of the inspection report on the rig seems to be "whited out" without any explanation.
Under pressure from the press, 'Bush' takes questions regarding the oil spill. During his press conference, the president denounces the 'scandalous' relationship between the agencies that regulate the oil industry, and the people who drill for oil. In response to a question about how involved he is, he tells the press that he is "briefed every day" on the progress in the gulf.
When he's asked why the government isn't more involved, he tells the press that the technology of BP is superior to what the government has.
As oil begins to wash ashore, the president goes on vacation. Right before the president leaves, he gets his photo taken with two different sports teams for photo ops. His announced vacation plans are cut short to include a 4 hour visit to the oil slicked coast. While there, he says that 'mistakes are possible...but a lack of urgency about plugging the leak and restoring the region is not'.
As a side note, the president will be skipping the tradition of the president laying a wreath in Arlington on memorial day, with two wars going on overseas.
The president I'm talking about - of course - is not president Bush. However, it begs the question:
What would the reaction be of the left if the president were not named Obama?
Why isn't the left really, really upset at the clear financial connection between the current president and BP?
-And just as importantly, why isn't the left upset that the president is going on vacation during this crisis?
