From Denny: Well it took long enough, finally President Obama decided to accept help from other countries who had the equipment for oil spill clean up. He waited over a month before finally admitting he needed help. If it had not been for the outcry of rage from Gulf Coast residents it does make me wonder if he would still be dithering about that decision while BP slithered off to avoid responsibility.
To date here is what has been accepted from other countries who offered their help:
Mexico - skimmers
Canada - boom
The Netherlands - three sets of Koseq sweeping arms, which attach to the sides of ships and gather oil
Norway - eight skimming systems
Meanwhile, Obama, ever the detail guy, has finished his picks for the Oil Spill Panel Commission. They will probably be much like other political commissions of the past: not shed much light, waste taxpayers' money needed elsewhere and arrive at a split decision, split down political party lines.
Congress is getting ready for some political grand-standing this week as they prepare to roast, toast and bottle for next century's vintage one BP CEO by the name of Tony Hayward who has commandeered this oil spill liar's mess. Maybe it will even be entertaining. The real question is, "So, what do they hope to accomplish?" They will nail his lying weasel hide to the wall. That's nice if you are the retribution type but meanwhile, the Gulf is literally cooking in oil.
The point of truth here is that BP rammed the drilling of the well, hoping to make it in only 51 days. Remember they were drilling on the ocean floor and went beyond the legal depth of 18,000 feet they were allowed. They did it anyway. They also spent $98 million doing it. It cost $1 million every two days to lease the rig. Because the BP rig was 43 days late for their next job, they rushed up this one. One of their risks that did not play out well was choosing "a cheaper well casing over a safer option that would have cost $7 to $10 million more."
Greed. Not much ever changes. Speaking of greed and immense wealth, apparently, Afghanistan has been found to be rich in minerals to the tune of $1 trillion. The good news is maybe America can find a way to connect the country for trade and help spur economic development. How nice it would be to rid the world of the heroin trade and the Taliban terrorists. Keep your fingers crossed for good things in this part of the world so destitute and miserable. This country's residents could use a break.
Obama Names 5 to Oil Spill Panel Commission
Dems Get Ready to Hammer BP - let's hope this week's Congressional hearings where BP CEO Tony Hayward testifies is more than just empty political rhetoric and wrist-slapping for Big Business.
"The committee will ask BP about five crucial decisions it made:
* the decision to use a well design with few barriers to gas flow;
* the failure to use a sufficient number of "centralizers" to prevent channeling during the cement process;
* the failure to run a cement bond log to evaluate the effectiveness of the cement job;
* the failure to circulate potentially gas-bearing drilling muds out of the well;
* and the failure to secure the wellhead with a lock down sleeve before allowing pressure on the seal from below.
U.S. Turns to World for Help on Gulf Oil Spill
Washington Post: After Weeks of Delays, White House Begins to Turn to Foreign Countries for Additional Equipment to Fight Spill
Locals: We Need More Government Help with Spill - Leaders Tell Katie Couric that Cleanup Effort is Disorganized and No One is Clearly In Charge
BP E-mail: Doomed Rig a "Nightmare Well" - BP May HaveTaken Risks with Deepwater Horizon in Order to Save Money, Ignored Advice from Halliburton
Breaking Down the FBI Kennedy Documents - records revealed of those who tried to assassinate Ted Kennedy after the assassinations of his brothers John and Bobby.
What Can the U.S. Gain from Afghanistan's Mineral Wealth? - from iron to lithium the $1 trillion worth of minerals could be a fast track to economic development to repel the Taliban in Afghanistan.
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