I had no use for him when he was just Senator Amateur. As President Amateur, he's even worse.

I almost feel sorry for the guy. If he quit, Biden would be in charge.

Simply amazing.

What made me chuckle is that Frank Rich still is OK with directly referring to "Eight years of epic Bush ineptitude" while still thinking that Obama is a credible champion of reformed, competent government, which is simply "held hostage by a video from the gulf".

Really? So if we didn't have that video from the gulf, Obama's wonderful healing light would shine across the world and we'd all see the true messiah that he really is?

You know... Bush did liberate Iraq in 2003, and while it was a mess for some time, Iraq is in a better place today for it. I really don't think Obama can claim any of that success (even though Biden was bold enough to try to lay claim to it).

And I'm really all for Obama's increased drone attacks on Al Qaeda in Pakistan, but on most of things with Obama, I really think it's the man himself, and his lack of competence that is holding himself back, NOT some "video from the gulf" that is holding him hostage.

IIRC, Bush and the government took control after 14 days. We're at 30+ days and Obama and the government is only now taking control.

What I want to know is, why is Obaba the FIRST president EVER to NOT place a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier this Memorial Day? His family vacation in Chicago is more important than performing one of the most sacred duties of his office? Of COURSE it is! His credibitly with me is next to non-existent. Not that that means much of anything.

I'm a native of Florida, and sick about the destruction the oil spill is causing. I think Obama has been too passive in this, as he has in most things in his presidency.

However, the law places the onus of stopping the leak the the responsibility of cleaning it up on BP. This law came about as a response to the Exxon Valdez disaster. Also, I doubt the government has on its payroll teams of people with deep water well-killing experience. Both legally and practically this was BP's deal; somewhat different from Katrina, where FEMA was the agency responsible from the start. But I think the Katrina parallel may very well hold up, in that Obama, like Bush, failed to appreciate the size of the disaster for far too long, and failed to take extraordinary measures as soon as he could.

...somewhat different from Katrina, where FEMA was the agency responsible from the start.

No, the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana were the agencies responsible from the start. FEMA, a federal agency, could only intervene if invited by the state of Louisiana.

The pattern for incompetence was set by Ray "Chocolate City" Nagin and Katherine "All We Can Do Is Pray" Blanco. That FEMA was unable to rise above the poor example set by those two incompetents is a reflection on its head, Brownie, who was appointed by Bush and whose incompetent flailings reflect poorly on Bush.

No, the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana were the agencies responsible from the start. FEMA, a federal agency, could only intervene if invited by the state of Louisiana

Point taken. FWIW, it looks like Jindal, at least, is not responding to the disaster with the incompetence of his predecessor to Katrina.

Sorry, Flynne, but no. Dick Cheney once performed the ceremony, and Regan missed one, but he was out of the country. There are probably others, but I've proved my case and it looks to be a nice day today. Gonna go fill the hot tub.

And, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier wasn't even built until after March of 1921, so none of the presidents prior to that performed this function, either. Although I acknowledge that this is a weak argument.

Why did Regan miss one?
Why did Bush?
And in Biden filling in this year?

GHW Bush didn't lay a wreath ONCE as President (though he did fill in for St. Ronnie one year as Veep).

Not that you people are looking for rational reasons to like or dislike Obama.

But out of curiosity -- what specific actions do you think he should be taking with respect to the oil spill that he is not?

I dislike most of Obama's policies. I see alternatives that would be better.

Now, about the BP spill. I don't see reports on what BP did wrong or on what the US government is supposed to do. So, why is Obama responsible?

I've read that a previous government commission recommended that the USGov keep an inventory of "fire boom" to contain and burn off the oil from such a spill. Both the USGov and BP didn't do this. Maybe BP expected the USGov to have this boom available.

I have read that Lousiana Gov. Jindal asked the USGov for permission to build containment structures between LA barrier islands to contain the spill. The USGov said they would do an Environmental Impact Study and get back to him in a few weeks. Of course, that is the federal law, which environmentalist Obama wants to follow to the letter.

I see this as the usual failing of our large, complex, and mismanaged government. That part isn't Obama's particular fault. I would fault Obama (as a big govt type) for believing that any government is going to be effective in planning for the future. I would fault Obama for blaming everyone else but the USGov.

It is ironic that Obama is being blamed for "not doing something, anything". It is a fitting problem for Obama, someone who proclaims the fantasy of government solving every problem through the miraculous Himself.

The real political problem for the Democrats and all politicians is that this oil spill demonstrates the poor planning of government and the inability of government to ride in to the rescue. BP has the available knowledge and resources to cope with the spill, not the USGov. The spill decreases trust in big government, which is a problem for all politicians, and is a dose of reality.

Of course there will have to be better protections on deep ocean oil wells. BP wishes that it had spent an extra $1 million if needed on a better blow-out preventer. Maybe if oil companies were less government managed, with less political protection from liability, and (yes) higher profits, there would be better equipment on that well.

Comparisons are made to Katrina. I also see that as government failure, but not primarily the USGov. Lousiana and New Orleans failed to inspect, repair, and re-engineer the levies around New Orleans. The funds for doing this were diverted to such projects as building casinos, no doubt to the intended benefit of local politicians. The levies failed in large part because they were undermined over time and not repaired. The cost of rebuilding them was $3 billion, and no one in government wanted to pay for this. In perspective, that would have been about $10,000 per house flooded, not a huge investment to preserve 30,000 x $100,000 houses. (statistics from memory and approximate).

GHW Bush didn't lay a wreath ONCE as President (though he did fill in for St. Ronnie one year as Veep).

GHW Bush was a torpedo bomber pilot in World War II (a very dangerous type of flying). In service to his country he was shot down and almost killed. He can celebrate Memorial Day any damned way he wants to.

Clinton showed up to the Tomb of the Unknowns every year for his eight years.

GW Bush missed 2002 because he was in Normandy honoring the D-Day dead.

Obama is going on vacation. While I think some of the heat he is taking on this is unfair, his choice of going on vacation rather than honoring the nation's dead military personnel was not a wise one.

OK, I understand now. What Obama did wrong was make it so that the oil industry isn't profitable enough. Well, that's clearly impeachable.

And Obama is "the FIRST president EVER to NOT place a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier" on Memorial Day except for all the Republicans who did the same thing but they get a pass because they love God and war better than the Democrats do.

Got it.

...except for all the Republicans who did the same thing but they get a pass because they love God and war better than the Democrats do.

Way to deliberately miss the point there, franko.

BTW, Reagan missed four Memorial Day wreath ceremonies in his eight years as president:

- In 1981 he was recovering from being shot six weeks earlier, so VP Bush laid the wreath at Arlington.
- In 1983 he was at a contentious economic summit in Williamsburg, so Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Thayer laid the wreath.
- In 1987 he was the presidential retreat at Camp David. Navy Secretary James Webb laid the wreath that year.
- In 1988 he was at a summit meeting in Moscow.

Only one of those occasions could be construed as a "vacation."

OK, then what was the point of claiming Obama is the first president to OMFG DISRESPECT OUR TROOPS despite easily googlable evidence to the contrary? Is this some sort of Stephen Colbert thing where you are going along with an emotional truth because it is in fact more truthy that the less-compelling factual truth?

(You know he's making fun of you, right?)

I never once made the claim that Obama was the first president to miss the Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington.

I pointed out that to do so for a vacation was politically unwise. That's all. Missing the ceremony is costing Obama some political points with the electorate, an electorate that gives him an overall negative approval rating (as of the latest poll).

Other presidents have missed the ceremony (except Clinton), but usually for reasons presidential (summits, other commitments, etc.). And when not missing it for presidential reasons, it was usually when they were receiving at least somewhat positive approval ratings and could afford the hit in political popularity.

Well Conan, I was responding to Flynne, so perhaps we were having different arguments. But it's worth noting that GHW Bush (never a popular Prez) took all his Memorial Days off in Kennebunkport -- so though you say he gets a pass for being a vet (and I wonder incidentally if you'd extend the same courtesy to Kerry, had he been elected), I still maintain that Obama is doing nothing out of the ordinary, and is only "losing points" with people who would crucify him for showboating if he did show up at the grave of the Unknown Soldier.

GHW Bush spent three out of four Memorial Days in Kennebunkport. For his first Memorial Day as president (1989), Bush was in Italy and made an official visit to a veteran's cemetery at Anzio (site of some very hard fighting in World War II).

And, no, I probably would not extend the same courtesy to Kerry. For one thing, he slandered his fellow veterans in the "Winter Soldier" hearings to further his own political career. I have a few other reasons as well, but none of them are related to his party affiliation.

[Obama] is only "losing points" with people who would crucify him for showboating if he did show up at the grave of the Unknown Soldier.

Not so. He's losing points with middle America. Those are the folks in flyover land who populate the military ranks and the ranks of their families. He scored points with them in his appearance last year and in visiting the AFB where the coffins are returned.

He's not missing this ceremony for presidential reasons and does not have a military service record to fall back on. He's missing the ceremony for a vacation and chose the Lincoln cemetery alternative because it's in close proximity to his vacation plans.

By attributing any and all criticism of Obama to right-wing crazies, Democrats (and Obama himself) are in danger of developing a Nixonian political tone-deafness that will leave him isolated when his political opponents have the upper hand and some real ammunition.

However, the law places the onus of stopping the leak the the responsibility of cleaning it up on BP. This law came about as a response to the Exxon Valdez disaster.

Just for the record -- Obama had the authority to take over from day one.

Why should or would the government take over? It's not like the EPA or the Navy have any better technology for fixing this problem.

Nobody, and I mean nobody, loathes the teleprompter-in-chief more than I do. However, I live in the real world, and I've never voted for Superman. The smart thing to do would be to offer any assistance the government could, including waiving the stupid environmental impact study of building a barrier to keep the oil off the beach, and delay the search for a scapegoat until the crisis is over.

MarkD,

While I agree that BP probably has better resources to handle this, my issue is that Bush took authority at 14 days and was criticized for taking that long. The criticism was leveled from the Dimocrats and the leftist media.

We are now at 30+ days and Obama is still dithering.

BTW:
Clean Water Act
Section 311 - Oil and Hazardous Substances Liability

§ 1321. Oil and hazardous substances liability

(c) Federal removal authority.
(1) General removal requirement.
(A) The President shall, in accordance with the National Contingency Plan and any appropriate Area Contingency Plan, ensure effective and immediate removal of a discharge, and mitigation or prevention of a substantial threat of a discharge, of oil or a hazardous substance--
(i) into or on the navigable waters;
(ii) on the adjoining shorelines to the navigable waters;
(iii) into or on the waters of the exclusive economic zone; or
(iv) that may affect natural resources belonging to, appertaining to, or under the exclusive management authority of the United States.
(B) In carrying out this paragraph, the President may--
(i) remove or arrange for the removal of a discharge, and mitigate or prevent a substantial threat of a discharge, at any time;
(ii) direct or monitor all Federal, State, and private actions to remove a discharge; and
(iii) remove and, if necessary, destroy a vessel discharging, or threatening to discharge, by whatever means are available.

http://www.epa.gov/Region7/laws_regulations/CWA/section311.htm