Palin accuses Obama of being in bed with big oil

The Vancouver Sun ^ | 5/23/2010 | Andrew Gully

[nickcarraway]

Right-wing darling Sarah Palin accused US President Barack Obama on Sunday of being lax in his response to the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster and suggested this was because he is too close to Big Oil.

The former vice presidential candidate and Alaska governor, who champions off-shore drilling, criticized the media for not drawing the link between Obama and Big Oil and said if this spill had happened under former Republican president George W. Bush the scrutiny would have been far tougher.

"I don’t know why the question isn’t asked by the mainstream media and by others if there’s any connection with the contributions made to president Obama and his administration and the support by the oil companies to the administration," she told Fox News Sunday.

More than 3.5 million dollars has been given to candidates by BP over the last 20 years, with the largest single donation, 77,051 dollars, going to Obama, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Palin suggested this close relationship explained why Obama was, "taking so doggone long to get in there, to dive in there, and grasp the complexity and the potential tragedy that we are seeing here in the Gulf of Mexico."

The BP-leased Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on April 20, killing 11 workers, and sank two days later. Ever since, hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil, perhaps even millions, have been spewing each day into the sea.

The resulting slick, now the size of a small country, threatens to leave Louisiana’s fishing and coastal tourism industries in tatters, ruin pristine nature reserves, and cause decades of harm to the ecology of fragile marshes that are a haven for rare wildlife and migratory birds.

The Obama administration has been forced to defend its response to the disaster as some Republicans have sought to portray it as its Katrina, an allusion to president Bush’s mishandling of the response to the hurricane that devastated Louisiana in 2005.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs mocked Palin’s suggestions that Obama was somehow in bed with the big oil companies because of 2008 presidential campaign contributions.

"Sarah Palin was involved in that election, but I don’t think, apparently, was paying a whole lot of attention," Gibbs said on CBS’s "Face the Nation" program.

"I’m almost sure that the oil companies don’t consider the Obama administration a huge ally. We proposed a windfall profits tax when they jacked their oil prices up to charge for gasoline.

"My suggestion to Sarah Palin would be to get slightly more informed as to what’s going on in and around oil drilling in this country."

Earlier this month, Obama ratcheted up criticism of BP over the spills, betraying frustration with the company’s failure to stop the leak, and more recently announced a bipartisan presidential commission to probe the huge oil spill.

Obama has also accused oil companies of enjoying a "cozy relationship" with the federal agency set up to monitor the energy sector which was later broken up into three separate agencies.

He ordered "top to bottom" reform of the agency after it was accused of allowing BP and other oil companies to drill in the Gulf without first obtaining required permits.

"BP will pay for every bit of this," Gibbs said Sunday. "We have to figure out and make sure that the relationship that is had with government and oil companies is not a cozy relationship as the president said."

He also dismissed analogies with Katrina, which still haunts US politics and provides an easy comparison for the media when considering the longer-term fallout that may plague Obama’s energy agenda for months or even years.

"If you look back at what happened in Katrina, the government wasn’t there to respond to what was happening," said Gibbs. "That quite frankly was the problem.

"I think the difference in this case is we were there immediately. We have been there ever since."

Palin, who quit the Alaska governorship after serving less than half of one term, famously promoted the slogan "Drill, baby, drill!" that rallied supporters while dismissing possible environmental impact of off-shore drilling.

Her detractors switched the line to "Spill, baby, spill!"

[Sarajevo]

"I’m almost sure that the oil companies don’t consider the Obama administration a huge ally. We proposed a windfall profits tax when they jacked their oil prices up to charge for gasoline.

Gibbs made that assertion? He needs to get a clue- higher taxes mean higher prices for the consumer.

On another note- Duh'bumba will get in bed with anyone who pads his narcissistic pocket.

[kcvl]

“My suggestion to Sarah Palin would be to get slightly more informed as to what’s going on in and around oil drilling in this country.”

******

Gibbs is the one who needs to get a clue. Palin took on the oil companies in Alaska and won. She obviously knows more about ‘oil drilling in this country’ than the entire Obama administration!

[dalight]

Tell Bobby Jindall how the Obama administration has been on top of the situation by blocking Louisiana from building protective berms of sand for 3 weeks now, and now its just about too late when most of the delicate shore ecosystems could have been saved.

Yep. Right on top of it the whole time. Dithering and getting in the way.

[tioga]

O’s inaction kinda resembles the inaction of NOLA’s mayor during Katrina.......he did NOTHING.

[princeofdarkness]

“”If you look back at what happened in Katrina, the government wasn’t there to respond to what was happening,” said Gibbs. “That quite frankly was the problem.

“I think the difference in this case is we were there immediately. We have been there ever since.” “

Best LOL quote of the day. That Gibbs...what a kidder!!

[heshtesh]

Gibbs= real sharp one right there.

[Daisyjane69]

maybe we should chip in a buy Gibby a copy of this:

http://www.amazon.com/Sarah-takes-Big-Oil-compelling/dp/0982163207/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257528830&sr=8-1

[Da Mav]

Palin leads the way once again. Where is the rest of the pack on this? James Carville, Tweety Matthews, Firedog Lake, and several other lefties have started smacking Obama over the 'management' of the oil spill. Palin is the perfect point for Republicans because of her relevent experience and tendency to provoke the opposition into foolish overreaction. But I hope we start hearing the rest of the chorus chiming in soon. A reminder Sarah takes on Big Oil: The compelling story of Governor Sarah Palin's battle with Alaska's 'Big 3' oil companies, as told by the state's top oil and gas editors, Kay Cashman and Kristen Nelson (Hardcover) ~ Kay Cashman (Author), Kristen Nelson (Author), Tim Kikta (Editor), Mariajose Echeverria-Stewart (Illustrator), Steven Merritt (Illustrator) Key Phrases: gasline inducement act, gas line negotiations, successful open season, North Slope, Sarah Palin, Prudhoe Bay (more...) 4.8 out of 5 stars http://www.amazon.com/reader/0982163207

[Da Mav]

lol, yeah I might believe I came back from letting the dogs in, hit ‘post’ and found out ya scooped me :-)

A point worth making twice, but congrats

[Recovering_Democrat]

REMIND YOUR FRIENDS:

Hussein is biggest recipient of BP cash ever!

Hussein SUCKS UP to BIG OIL!

[Diogenesis]

"Obama biggest recipient of BP cash
BP and its employees have given more than $3.5 million
to federal …with the largest chunk of their money going to Obama"

"U.S. exempted BP's Gulf of Mexico drilling from environmental impact study"

"Obama admin exempted BP's Gulf drilling from environmental impact study "

"Obama White House and British Petroleum (BP), which pumped $71,000 into Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign
are covering up the magnitude of the volcanic-level oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico"

"Obama sheltered BP's Deepwater Horizon rig from regulatory requirement"

"Red Flags Were Ignored Aboard Doomed Rig "

"US allowed drilling 'without required permits"

"U.S. Said to Allow Drilling Without Needed Permits
The federal Minerals Management Service gave permission to BP …
to drill in the Gulf of Mexico without first getting required permits "

[Carley]

Oh I love it!

Right about the time the oil is beginning to stick to the maoist, here comes Sarah saying it like it is.

In this administration money talks and national and economic security walks.

[Carley]

Now now, you know the O administration has been on it since DAY ONE. They told us so.

[DeaconRed]

"Gibbs= real sharp one right there."

He drove through Auburn with his windows down and got a degree. What do you expect from a AU-FUL grad?
Roll Tide

[olezip]

"Sarah Palin was involved in that election, but I don’t think, apparently, was paying a whole lot of attention," Gibbs said on CBS’s "Face the Nation" program.

"I’m almost sure that the oil companies don’t consider the Obama administration a huge ally. We proposed a windfall profits tax when they jacked their oil prices up to charge for gasoline.

"My suggestion to Sarah Palin would be to get slightly more informed as to what’s going on in and around oil drilling in this country."

These are revealing quotes by Gibbs. There is a difference between words and actions by the Obama administration. The administration may bad mouth BP and other oil companies, but their actions in connection with the tragic oil spill are quite different. It is like being beaten with a whip while being asked to work faster and harder to stop the oil flow and clean up the mess. How long can this contradictory and ambiguous government behavior play out?

The old play book says to blame Bush and Cheney and big oil. But it turns out that the Democrats are and have been in the front of the line on the payroll of big oil, especially BP. Did not BP just receive a safety award for that very same oil rig?