A presidency on the brink

Trying to establish to the nation that big government works, the complete opposite is happening as we watch the oil spill debacle unfold. Only several dozen skimmers are currently employed, while thousands sit unused around the country, according to Florida Senator George Lemieux. The Jones Act still has not been lifted. Domenich at Red State:

Every unbiased observer can agree that BP has made major mistakes, mistakes for which they must be held accountable. But fearful of bearing the blame for a mismanaged recovery effort, it was the White House that chose a half-measure partnership arrangement with the company. Partnering with a corporation while simultaneously making childish threats and launching less-childish Justice Department investigations is never a smart idea if the aim is quick results.

This type of inept PR-driven approach is typified by the decision to pursue dispersal of the oil—an approach approved by the Environmental Protection Agency over the objections of Louisiana officials—which creates less of a surface level appearance of oil on the coastline but could result in far more damage below the surface, destroying the biological life cycle with massive and far-reaching effects.