Britain vs USA: War of words over oil

[bryanwilliamchristopher]

Whoever would have thought that Britain and the USA would have a war of words over oil? The spillage in the Gulf of Mexico is a catastrophe for the environment and devastating for the economy around the Louisiana coast line.

However, there is something bullying and petty about President Obama's tirades against BP and its Chief Executive, Tony Hayward. BP is now an Anglo-American company and it did not deliberately create the problems. Nor did it disown its responsibility for the disaster, spending enormous amounts of money in an attempt to plug the pipeline.

One can understand the frustrations of the President who Stateside appears to be getting the blame for not plugging the hole personally, although how he should do this is hard to fathom. He is not an engineer and this is not a Hollywood movie, where the leading man would have stopped the oil flow within the hour.

By lashing out at BP and its Chief Executive in particular, President Obama has acted like a bullying tyrant and anti-British to boot, with his talk of British Petroleum, a name long gone from the company. It is sad to see him behave like a typical politician, undignified and willing to point the finger of blame, instead of showing real leadership by encouraging BP in its efforts. In the long-term he would have been better respected had he done so.

Our own Prime Minister is now being accused of not taking up for Britain and will discuss the issue with the President in a telephone call later today. It is hoped he will, politely, tell the occupant of the White House to cool his temper, stop his personal attacks on Tony Hayward and instead help BP find the resources to halt the oil flow.

The President has failed to mention that BP employs more people in the United States than in the UK and spends billions finding oil to satisfy the American market. This is a time for leadership, co-operation and encouragement from the world's most powerful man. Verbally beating up Tony Hayward as he works with his team to battle against the elements is just not....well, the American way.

[Michael Asher]

Originally Posted by bryanwilliamchristopher

Whoever would have thought that Britain and the USA would have a war of words over oil? The spillage in the Gulf of Mexico is a catastrophe for the environment and devastating for the economy around the Louisiana coast line.

However, there is something bullying and petty about President Obama's tirades against BP and its Chief Executive, Tony Hayward. BP is now an Anglo-American company and it did not deliberately create the problems. Nor did it disown its responsibility for the disaster, spending enormous amounts of money in an attempt to plug the pipeline.

Nobody wants this thing to be over more than me. I just want my life back.

One can understand the frustrations of the President who Stateside appears to be getting the blame for not plugging the hole personally, although how he should do this is hard to fathom. He is not an engineer and this is not a Hollywood movie, where the leading man would have stopped the oil flow within the hour.

Now there's a good point.

By lashing out at BP and its Chief Executive in particular, President Obama has acted like a bullying tyrant and anti-British to boot, with his talk of British Petroleum, a name long gone from the company. It is sad to see him behave like a typical politician, undignified and willing to point the finger of blame, instead of showing real leadership by encouraging BP in its efforts. In the long-term he would have been better respected had he done so.

BP could have been making much better efforts.

Our own Prime Minister is now being accused of not taking up for Britain and will discuss the issue with the President in a telephone call later today. It is hoped he will, politely, tell the occupant of the White House to cool his temper, stop his personal attacks on Tony Hayward and instead help BP find the resources to halt the oil flow.

Cool his temper? The American right wing is angry that Obama is not more angry.

The President has failed to mention that BP employs more people in the United States than in the UK and spends billions finding oil to satisfy the American market.

That's so kind of them. They spend money to help us!

[Whizdom]

Originally Posted by bryanwilliamchristopher

By lashing out at BP and its Chief Executive in particular, President Obama has acted like a bullying tyrant and anti-British to boot, with his talk of British Petroleum, a name long gone from the company. It is sad to see him behave like a typical politician, undignified and willing to point the finger of blame, instead of showing real leadership by encouraging BP in its efforts. In the long-term he would have been better respected had he done so.

I am afraid that President Obama's error is worse than this. He seems to have fallen for exactly the same temptation as President Bush before him - to seize on a national emergency as a quick route to hero status, and thus put himself at the mercy of hysterical US domestic opinion.

Obama has even been comparing this crisis with 9/11. Can't he remember how 9/11, and Bush's gross over-reaction to it, had terrible effects on his country's credibility and reputation in the world?

The WTC disaster was not a declaration of war against the USA - it was a terrorist incident by a small group of men, who killed themselves in the process. For America to use this as a pretext to fight aggressive wars against other countries was a terrible miscalculation.

The same with the BP oil spill. BP was just doing what any other oil company would have done. I.e. continuing with the current line of development in drilling. Up to then it hadn't caused big accidents. There is always a first time, and then you stop. Unlucky for BP that it happened to be one that went that one step too far.

For me, the question now is whether Obama, with his greater academic background than Bush, is able to take his domestic opinion into productive areas, rather than being pushed by it into disaster. Revenge is not a good basis for a policy - because nearly always, the people who end up suffering have nothing to do with the offence.