Obama: Environmental 9/11

Rahn Emanuel said in November 2008:

"Never let a serious crisis go to waste. What I mean by that is it's an opportunity to do things you couldn't do before."

Obama is living by his Chief of Staff's words.

An e-mail from Obama:

Friend --

The BP oil spill in the Gulf Coast is the worst environmental disaster of its kind in our nation's history. I am returning to the region today to review our efforts and meet with families and business owners affected by the catastrophe.

We are working to hold BP accountable for the damage to the lands and the livelihoods of the Gulf Coast, and we are taking strong precautions to make certain a spill like this never happens again.

But our work will not end with this crisis. That's one of the reasons why last week I invited lawmakers from both parties to join me at the White House to discuss what it will take to move forward on legislation to promote a new economy powered by green jobs, combat climate change, and end our dependence on foreign oil.

Today, we consume more than 20 percent of the world's oil, but have less than two percent of the world's oil reserves. Beyond the risks inherent in drilling four miles beneath the surface of the Earth, our dependence on oil means that we will continue to send billions of dollars of our hard-earned wealth to other countries every month -- including many in dangerous and unstable regions.

In other words, our continued dependence on fossil fuels will jeopardize our national security. It will smother our planet. And it will continue to put our economy and our environment at risk. We cannot delay any longer, and that is why I am asking for your help.

Please stand with me today in backing clean energy. Adding your name will help Organizing for America create a powerful, public display of support for making this change happen.

The time has come, once and for all, for this nation to fully embrace a new future. That means continuing our unprecedented effort to make everything -- from our homes and businesses to our cars and trucks -- more energy-efficient. It means rolling back billions of dollars of tax breaks to oil companies so we can prioritize investments in clean energy research and development.

Many businesses support this agenda because shifting to clean energy creates opportunities for entrepreneurship. This is how we will reinvent our economy -- and create new companies and new jobs all across the country.

There will be transition costs and a time of adjustment. But if we refuse to heed the warnings from the disaster in the Gulf -- we will have missed our best chance to seize the clean-energy future we know America needs to thrive in the years and decades to come.

The House of Representatives has already passed a comprehensive energy and climate bill, and there is currently a plan in the Senate -- a plan that was developed with ideas from Democrats and Republicans -- that would achieve the same goal. But this is an issue that Washington has long ignored in favor of protecting the status quo.

So I'm asking for your help today to show that the American people are ready for a clean-energy future.

Please add your name to mine:

http://my.barackobama.com/CleanEnergy

Thank you,

President Barack Obama

The subject line of the e-mail: "Now, will you stand with me?"

How sleazy!

So Obama is using the crisis in the Gulf to push his energy agenda.

"Now, will you stand with me?"

I think it would be far better for Obama to manage the crisis before trying to make political hay.

Good grief! How offensive!

One step at a time.

If your finished basement had a sewer backup, you wouldn't focus on refurnishing the space before you cleaned the place.

Obama is flailing.

He puts a ban on drilling, but doesn't consider the economic reality.

Just when I think Obama couldn't screw up more than he already has, he does.

Now, he's calling the Gulf of Mexico disaster an environmental 9/11.

WHOA!

9/11 was an orchestrated TERRORIST ATTACK on the United States.

The oil spill in the Gulf wasn't terrorism. At least I don't think the BP explosion was conducted by terrorists.

From AFP:

US President Barack Obama framed the Gulf of Mexico oil spill as an environmental 9/11 as he began a tour of the region Monday to stem growing political fallout from the catastrophe.

In an interview with the Washington-based news organization Politico, Obama vowed to push for a radical overhaul of US energy policy that would reduce America's addiction to foreign oil and dangerously deep drilling.

"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 said.

"One of the biggest leadership challenges for me going forward is going to be to make sure that we draw the right lessons from this disaster."

The comments marked the start of a crucial week for the president as he responds to charges his leadership has been found wanting in the face of America's worst ever environmental disaster.

After visiting Alabama, Mississippi and Florida for the first time since the disaster began eight weeks ago, the president will seek to regain control of the narrative with his first address to the nation from the Oval Office.

Yes, I understand that Obama is speaking of addressing our vulnerabilities.

Still, I think it's wrong for Obama to draw any parallel with the oil rig explosion and the 9/11 attacks.

Such connections show no compassion for the loss of life in the April 2010 ACCIDENT or the September 2001 ATTACKS.

Obama is demonizing the oil industry and its employees. It's unseemly.

Unfortunately, it's typical Obama, what I've come to expect from him and his administration.