Re: Did Bush neglect strict laws on oil drilling due to favouritism?
What happened during the Bush era is all Bush's fault and what happens under the Obama era is all Bush's fault.
No, but by the same token, not every screw up that occurred in Bush's 8 years (or in the preceeding gov'ts) cannot be corrected instantly like many Republicans seem to want either. 15 months ISN'T a lot of time to go and rewrite a lot of policy, especially when your gov't is overseeing 2 armed conflicts that they inherited from the previous one, and trying to crawl out of the worst ecnomic conditions in 80 years or so.
How Obama should be judged on this, is how his administration handles the situation not that it ocurred at all. Things like wanting an investigation on the spill (or leak if you prefer) to begin immediately is a good start: you don't wait for the evidence to disappear before you begin looking into something like this. In my mind, there should be an interim plan upgraded and put into place for dealing with similar situations (should they arise) that can be ammended once the investigation and final analysis is complete. And this interim plan should include increased inspections on existing platforms and the ability of inspectors to shut them down if BOPs, relief valves and other safety devices are not functioning properly.
I find it rather amusing actually being that this disaster is in the New Orleans area. Thinking back to the left's perpetual attack on how Bush failed to act accordingly and quick enough to Katrina and now their inability to critisize Obama for allowing this disaster to fester unabated.
Bush was targeted for a lot of criticisms that should have been aimed at municipal and state officials, but he was his own worst enemy with the appointment of his buddy "Brownie" (someone completely unqualified and seemingly unprepared for the role he was asked to fill) to be in charge of the US Federal gov't actions.
Finally, yes BP does stand for British Petroleum and their HQ is in London. They aren't solely British but rather a multinational, with shareholders all over the globe, including those of Amoco, whom BP merged with in 1998 (hmmm what does Am-O-Co stand for, I wonder...;-)). As for the "When this is all over though, the U.S. better own BP lock stock and barrel." mindset, I disagree. BP should be responsible for ALL costs associated with this disaster (they screwed up, no one else), including applicable fines and penalties imposed by the US gov't but if they can pay all this and remain standing, its their right to continue to operate as a business (although the US gov't should have the right to revoke any leases that do not conform to ALL applicable regulations and laws).
