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Political Hotsheet
As massive amounts of oil continue to flow into the ocean from an exploded oil rig and ooze toward shore, Republicans and Democrats are grappling with how to address the issue of offshore drilling.
Oil Spill by the Numbers
Photos: Gulf Oil Spill Containment Efforts © 2010 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Will Republicans Abandon "Drill, Baby, Drill"?
Some Republicans outside of Washington, like former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, are carefully insisting the expansion of offshore drilling is in the nation's best interest.
Republicans inside the beltway, however, are lying low on the issue for fear of appearing insensitive to the disaster happening in the Gulf of Mexico. And while a handful of Democrats are calling on President Obama to halt his plans to consider more drilling, the president and some others in his party are still defending his proposal.
Before taking the reins as head of the Republican National Committee, Michael Steele at the 2008 Republican National Convention gave the party the mantra, "Drill, Baby, Drill!" Now, however, Steele and the RNC are staying mum on the issue.
But the chant of "drill, baby, drill" was taken up by Palin, the 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate, and she maintains that she's holding onto it.
"I repeat the slogan 'drill here, drill now' not out of naivete or disregard for the tragic consequences of oil spills - my family and my state and I know firsthand those consequences," Palin wrote in a Facebook note today. "How could I still believe in drilling America's domestic supply of energy after having seen the devastation of the Exxon-Valdez spill? I continue to believe in it because increased domestic oil production will make us a more secure, prosperous, and peaceful nation."
Similarly, McDonnell said today that the "catastrophic event" off the Louisiana coast will not deter his plans to make Virginia the first state on the East Coast to begin drilling for oil and natural gas, the Washington Post reports.
"This is certainly a setback, but I certainly continue to be dedicated to making us first to drill, 2012 at the latest, and over the next couple years these safety and environmental issues will be addressed," McDonnell said.
In Congress, Republicans like House Minority John Boehner have yet to speak out about drilling. One House GOP leadership aide says that the party is staying quiet because they are wary about coming on too strong for drilling offshore while the ocean is still on fire, CBS News Capitol Hill Producer Jill Jackson reports.
The aide says, however, that Republicans will fully support the president's call for an investigation into the oil spill. Mr. Obama today promised a review of the disaster to come within a month.
In the coming days, according to the aide, the Republican party will renew its call for a comprehensive, all-inclusive energy policy that relies on everything from nuclear power and coal, as well as drilling. In the meantime, the aide points to remarks from Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu, who on the Senate floor yesterday defended the practice of offshore drilling.
"I don't believe we can react in fear. I don't believe that we should retreat," Landrieu said yesterday, in a speech encompassing all aspects of the oil spill, including its impact on drilling. "We don't believe in burying our head in the sand and pretending that the country does not need 20 million barrels of oil a day, or pretending that we can get this energy tomorrow from somewhere else. We may get it somewhere else in 20 or 30 years, but not next week, and not the month after, and not the year after."
"I continue to believe that domestic oil production is an important part of our overall strategy for energy security, but I've always said it must be done responsibly, for the safety of our workers and our environment," he said. "The local economies and livelihoods of the people of the Gulf Coast as well as the ecology of the region are at stake."
Some Democrats are asking the president to scale back his plans. In a letter sent to Mr. Obama yesterday, Florida Sen. Bill Nelson said he is drafting a bill to prohibit the Interior Department from going forward with the president's plans to open up the southern Atlantic coastline and some other areas to offshore drilling. Nelson also asked the president for an immediate halt to test wells and other exploratory operations in coastal waters.
Today, New Jersey's two Democratic senators, Robert Menendez and Frank Lautenberg, and two of the state's representatives, Frank Pallone and Rush Holt, asked Mr. Obama in a letter to reverse his plans to expand drilling.
White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod said this morning there will be no new drilling until there are answers about the oil spill, but he maintained that the president has yet to approve any new drilling anyway.
"All he has said is that he is not going to continue the moratorium," Axelrod said.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi treaded lightly around the question of whether the president should reconsider his plans when questioned by reporters yesterday, Jill Jackson reports. She pointed out that the moratorium was first lifted under the Bush administration and that Mr. Obama was simply proposing some specific areas off the coast where drilling could be considered.
"I don't know how long it will take to seek the cause of this," Pelosi added. "I do know that what we have been told is that technology has changed, that there's much safer drilling than when we were first having these fights starting decades ago. Clearly, there is room for improvement, and I think the people who are affected in the area would want there to be some careful review."
Special Section: Gulf Coast Oil DisasterOil Spill by the Numbers
Photos: Gulf Oil Spill Containment Efforts
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You Dummy !!
Educate Yourself, Quickly
Glenn Beck: This is Not President Obama's fault, But How will This Administration Use This Catastrophy
Note: A Great Big First, In Glenn Beck And AM-Hate Radio History !!
Beck: Is this Barack Obama's Fault ? [No]
Beck: NY Times says,this is Barack Obama's Katrina [No]
Beck: Was This Barack Obama's Katrina For Not Knowing the Rig was Going to [Blow Up !!]
Beck: For Not Going in and Saving it Fast Enough ?
Beck: "Was Barack Obama suppose to Call in a Swat Team within the First 15 Minutes [No] Its Unreasonable to me"
Beck still, has to put the Ole Glenn Beck Conspiracy Slant On it.
__________________
Elizabeth, I'm Coming Home To Join You Honey, Glenn Beck Sounds Reasonable, Though with his Own Propagandist Slant.
_______________________
Bush Got the [Patriot Act Passed] & Invaded Iraq, Based On [911]
Had we invested in the development of other resources 40 or 50 years ago we might not have many of the problems we have now.
If we do not develop new and independent sources of energy we will never be truly secure.
How is Venezuela going to give it's citizens free heating oil without American money?
How is Saudi Arabia going to afford to but each of it's Princes a new Lexus every year without American money?
What are you trying to do to them?
You Dummy !!
Educate Yourself, Quickly
The Right Wing never expected the Obama Administration to consider opening up the Atlantic Coast for Offshore Drilling. The expanded Oil Operations would've (could've) brought the world price per Barrel of Crude Oil down.
Oil Cartel Companies panicked at the thought of losing revenue for difficult and costly offshore operations thus, well you figure it out.
"It's all the Environmentalists Wackos my frienthdsszzzz!"
With these rich, greedy corporations, whatever they or their corporate slaves the US government say, is the exact opposite. WE DO NOT NEED TO DRILL. We need to conserve and develop alternative energy sources.
And off the oil corporations.
February 2010 Import Highlights: April 29, 2010
Monthly data on the origins of crude oil imports in February 2010 has been released and it shows that one country exported more than 1.00 million barrels per day to the United States (see table below).
The top five exporting countries accounted for 64 percent of United States crude oil imports in February while the top ten sources accounted for approximately 85 percent of all U.S. crude oil imports.
The top five sources of US crude oil imports for February were Canada (1.897 million barrels per day), Mexico (0.996 million barrels per day), Venezuela (0.913 million barrels per day), Nigeria (0.896 million barrels per day), and Saudi Arabia (0.881 million barrels per day).
The rest of the top ten sources, in order, were Iraq (0.540 million barrels per day), Colombia (0.371) million barrels per day), Angola (0.312 million barrels per day), Algeria (0.282 million barrels per day), and United Kingdom (0.260 million barrels per day).
Total crude oil imports averaged 8.680 million barrels per day in February, which is an increase of 0.226 million barrels per day from January 2010.
Canada remained the largest exporter of total petroleum in February, exporting 2.490 million barrels per day to the United States, which is a decrease from last month (2.593 thousand barrels per day).
The second largest exporter of total petroleum was Mexico with 1.134 million barrels per day.
Crude Oil Imports (Top 15 Countries)
(Thousand Barrels per Day)
Country Feb-10 Jan-10 YTD 2010 Feb-09 YTD 2009
#1 CANADA 1,897 1,882 1,889 1,913 1,930
MEXICO 996 1,033 1,015 1,219 1,261
VENEZUELA 913 827 868 960 1,072
NIGERIA 896 996 948 457 473
SAUDI ARABIA 881 958 922 1,099 1,224
IRAQ 540 506 522 554 562
COLOMBIA 371 293 330 225 225
ANGOLA 312 268 289 671 595
ALGERIA 282 327 306 142 256
UNITED KINGDOM 260 137 195 70 41
KUWAIT 228 66 143 251 237
RUSSIA 214 137 174 139 149
BRAZIL 192 271 233 365 382
Hopefully, nobody will buy those darned electric cars.
Keep Chanting, Yelling and Screaming...
"Drill Baby Drill" until the Cows Come Home... We Cannot Replace the 10 Major Foreign Oil Suppliers Output.
It will take 10-15 years to Discover Oil and Bring this Newly Discovered Oil to Market and when this Oil is Brought to Market, it will [Not] go To Oil Starved America, It will Go To Countries like [China & India] and they'll Pay Big Money to get this Oil.
Keep in Mind, Oil Companies are [Privately Owned] Not [Government Owned] like [Venezuela's Citgo Oil]
PS: There are No Federal Laws Forbidding Privately Owned Oil Companies Selling their Oil to The Open Market and if President Obama & Congress would ever Try to make such a Law, the Republicans would have a Hissy Fit over it !!!
The Newly Discovered Oil will Not Stay in America, it would Go to the Free Market and China and India would Purchase this Oil.. Fact
Again: There is No Federal Law Demanding, Restricting or Mandating that Big Oil Corporations [Must Keep] All their Oil Finds Strictly in the United States Of America and there has NEVER BEEN such a Federal Law,
Because Big Oil Corporations Own this Nation along with Wall Street and Mega Banking Elites.
They have to keep drilling and pumping this oil.
That's just the way it is. Like it or not.
Keep Chanting, Yelling and Screaming...
"Drill Baby Drill" until the Cows Come Home... We Cannot Replace the 10 Major Foreign Oil Suppliers Output.
It will take 10-15 years to Discover Oil and Bring this Newly Discovered Oil to Market and when this Oil is Brought to Market, it will [Not] go To Oil Starved America, It will Go To Countries like [China & India] and they'll Pay Big Money to get this Oil.
Keep in Mind, Oil Companies are [Privately Owned] Not [Government Owned] like [Venezuela's Citgo Oil]
PS: There are No Federal Laws Forbidding Privately Owned Oil Companies Selling their Oil to The Open Market and if President Obama & Congress would ever Try to make such a Law, the Republicans would have a Hissy Fit over it !!!
The Newly Discovered Oil will Not Stay in America, it would Go to the Free Market and China and India would Purchase this Oil.. Fact
Again: There is No Federal Law Demanding, Restricting or Mandating that Big Oil Corporations [Must Keep] All their Oil Finds Strictly in the United States Of America and there has NEVER BEEN such a Federal Law,
Because Big Oil Corporations Own this Nation along with Wall Street and Mega Banking Elites.
They have their "version of the truth". They have their story and they are sticking to it. They feel that the rich, greedy big corporations are behind them and they therefore can be as arrogant as the corporations and the Rule of Law and the Constitution don't apply to them (only the underlings or when it is convenient for them).
Spill, Baby, Spill ==>
Lie, Baby, Lie ==>
JAIL, BABY, JAIL !!!
If someone dumps a bucket of oil on their neighbor's yard, then they should be punished.
If there was deliberate misinformation that contributed to the accident or prevented remediation then there should be punishment.
There are laws covering criminal negligence and lying to Federal Officials.
The BP disaster plan is a joke, if not outright fraud. And, seems like clear misinfo from BP starting day one...
And, don't forget 11 people are already dead.
Criminal probe please...