No Ships On The Horizon

The Morning Joe Rebuttal for June 17th, 2010


Observations:


1) I am going to have to give Rudy Giuliani some props for that analysis. But it sucks, it’s that same level of emptiness that occurred when Darrell Issa was the only guy sounding the alarm on AIG emails.


If it really takes Rudy Giuliani to point out the missing elements of the BP oil disaster response, then the administration needs to go to extension college on governing. Obviously this rare occasion was made possible by Dylan Ratigan and Jim Cramer intensely agreeing on core operational issues, because no one take Rudy seriously solo anymore. He is so, well what did we call Peter King, a credibility disaster that only his resolute take and some accreditation would work.


Missing is the superheroes of Houston and the oil barons. I of course had added the Bush family, but I always take it a step farther.


Missing is the international response offers ignored, and the mobilization of the entire gulf fleet to contain. I have never spoke on this issue, but I think like most Americans, I thought this was obvious and its missing-ness is Katrina-esque.


I mean really, Donald Trump is a stretch and I forgive you for not finding that very good idea from that source, but T Boone Pickens? He has a 'remove oil from our future' agenda. Where are you? Is this about swift boat? Did Ike check voting records on June 5th, 1944?


When the Northridge earthquake ravaged Los Angeles in 1994, the 10 freeway collapsed. The city did a non traditional deal that time incentivized the reopening of that crucial freeway. It worked, it was at level and operational in months not years. There was debate, there were cries of overpayment, but nothing was worth letting that work take even a second longer than minimum.


That kind of resolute government action is missing here. Don Trump is the closest when he tries to incentivize with lease reassignment the solution from the private parties that make up our best hope for stopping the leak.


The White House needs to step up or face disappointing a nation, and lending new credibility to Rudy Giuliani.


2) The White House responding on Mika’s blackberry is as bad a concept as there ever was. This directly makes Robert Gibbs, the Press Secretary, responsible for the worst optics ever. The message is small, Mika has to squint to read it, it makes the communication emanating from the White House seem, well, small.


Don’t ever do this again. Call in, set up a broadcast booth, be a bigger message than your critics if you’re going to take the time to respond. Avoidance is a superior strategy to a 3 inch message.



3) The worst thing ever is the shovel in the ground in Alaska showing oil today left from 1989. It is a concept that needs to find a home with the entire United States. Somehow we are all in denial of that fact. We think some soap and we are going to clean up like a bird in a $400 bath.


We’re not. The slowness of the capture of the leaked oil actually will make this permanence thing even more of a fact of life than it had to be.


There are two schools of thought here. One is that we’re doing all we can and this is the consequences of bad luck and tough problems. The other is that once the Gulf of Mexico is permanently marred by oil, it will be that much easier to grant permits, because the damage is already done.


No on is low enough on the karma food chain to think that way are they. You would’ve had to have been in the meeting with Dick Cheney back in 2000 to know for sure


That’s all for today, see you tomorrow.