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Robert Redford: Obama Should Use Gulf Spill to Push ‘Decent Energy Policy’

Posted on June 28, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Robert Redford, one of the most popular and succesful actors of our age, has joined with other entertainers, including Sir Paul McCartney and Rosie O’Donnell in encouraging the Obama administration to actively politicize the Gulf crisis and use it to push through on energy policy. In an interview with ExtraTV, Redford said that Obama should “Grab this moment in history and get a decent energy policy.” He also said “Here’s a moment in our history where he [Obama] should grab leadership and run with it.” He said that “We blew it in the late seventies,” referring to laws like the National Energy Act, National Energy Conservation Policy Act and the Energy Policy and Conservation Act made in the wake of the OPEC embargo and the Three Mile Island nuclear disaster. Redford has long combined his interest in liberal and environmentalist politics with his career as an actor and film maker, producing The Motorcycle Diaries, based on the memoir by Che Guevara and contributing money to Democratic candidates 58 percent of the time. He added that the government needs to start planning for the end of oil and sustainable energy now. Apparently, the failure of the plans from the 70’s does not phase his faith in the ability of the government to plan energy policy. He did say that BP is responsible for the spill and the government needs to make them pay. Meanwhile, unlike McCartney, O’Donnell and Redford who urge political action, Kevin Costner has funded the development of machines which can aid tremendously in the clean up, using centrifuges to separate up to 99 percent of oil from water, despite prohibitive federal regulations preventing them from being developed. Costner has contributed money to Al Gore’s past campaigns and campaigned for Obama in Colorado. At least one celebrity is doing something useful regarding the spill.

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CNN’s Acosta and Costello Parrot Obama Talking Points on Offshore Drilling Moratorium

Posted on June 25, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

CNN’s Carol Costello and Jim Acosta revealed their disdain for a federal judge’s decision to overturn the Obama administration’s 6-month moratorium on offshore drilling when the expert they interviewed on the June 25 “American Morning” made a convincing case against the moratorium. Tom Bower, an author who has written extensively on the oil industry, tried to explain the devastating economic impact the moratorium would inflict on an already beleaguered industry, but Costello and Acosta were blinded by ideology: “But isn’t safety more important than money?” queried Costello. “Because, I mean, these oil companies make massive amounts of money each day.” Bower, author of “Oil, Money, Politics and Power in the 21st Century,” drew the ire of Costello and Acosta for calling the Gulf oil spill an “aberration” and noting the oil industry’s “phenomenal” overall safety record.      “But that’s what they say, it is just an aberration, but the BP disaster happened,” argued Costello. “Nobody thought that could happen either. So, it’s just not logical, is it, that argument?” “What do you mean they’re doing a very good job on the whole down there?” demanded Acosta. “I don’t know what that means. In what sense? You know, I mean, this entire body of water is at risk right now. It has been poisoned. And I’m just curious, what do you mean by doing a good job?” Taking aim at Republicans and moderate Democrats like Sen. Mary Landrieu (La.) who continue to support offshore drilling, Acosta asked Bower: “I’m just curious, you know, is there a little bit of a having your cake and eat it too, when it comes to some of these Gulf Coast politicians saying we want the jobs and the protection from any environmental impact at the same time?” Loaded questions designed to advance the White House’s narrative reflect Acosta’s underlying liberal tendencies. Costello also parroted the Obama administration’s narrative: Well, let’s talk about this moratorium because, and I’m just going to play devil’s advocate here. Let’s say — I mean, what’s wrong with these oil companies to stop drilling in the deepwater, these 33 wells, for four more months? Because that’s all we’re talking about when you take the moratorium in its entirety. What’s wrong with that? Bower’s response, unlike Costello’s sputtering rant, was succinct and nonpartisan: Well, the cost. We see each oil platform, each rig costs at least half a million dollars a day, and often more, and they just can’t afford that sort of equipment lying idle and the contractors will find other places around the world who want the rigs, and they’ll just take them there, so there’s just no choice. After dismissing the expert, Acosta, turning to Costello to offer his informed opinion, lamented that “it just doesn’t feel right, you know, to say that as a whole, the industry’s just doing a great job down there.” The transcript of the segment can be found below: CNN American Morning 6/25/10 6:41 a.m. CAROL COSTELLO, co-host: The Obama administration loses another effort to put a moratorium on drilling in the Gulf. But does lifting that ban serve our nation’s best interests? You know, Bonnie is talking about this storm coming in. JIM ACOSTA, co-host: Yeah.                      COSTELLO: Wouldn’t it be a good idea if they continue to stop drilling on those 33 rigs — you know that are affected by this? ACOSTA: It’s another potential complication for this whole thing. COSTELLO: Yes. We’re going to get really into that with author Tom Bower, who has written a lot on BP and the oil industry. It’s 41 minutes past the hour. ACOSTA: Welcome back to the “Most News in the Morning.” You know, a showdown looms this morning over offshore drilling. A federal judge denied the administration’s request to postpone an order that would end a six-month moratorium. COSTELLO: That means if anyone wants to start up the deep water drills, they certainly can, but the White House says it will introduce a new ban in a few days. We wanted to know what a moratorium really means for safety though. Is it really necessary? Joining us from London this morning: Tom Bower, who is the author of “Oil, Money, Politics and Power in the 21st Century.” Good morning, sir. TOM BOWER, author of “Oil, Money, Politics and Power in the 21st Century”: Good morning. COSTELLO: Well, let’s talk about this moratorium because, and I’m just going to play devil’s advocate here. Let’s say — I mean, what’s wrong with these oil companies to stop drilling in the deepwater, these 33 wells, for four more months? Because that’s all we’re talking about when you take the moratorium in its entirety. What’s wrong with that? BOWER: Well, the cost. We see each oil platform, each rig costs at least half a million dollars a day, and often more, and they just can’t afford that sort of equipment lying idle and the contractors will find other places around the world who want the rigs, and they’ll just take them there, so there’s just no choice. COSTELLO: But isn’t safety more important than money? Because, I mean, these oil companies make massive amounts of money each day. BOWER: Well of course, safety is critical. As we’ve now seen, the catastrophe follows if these are not safe. But on the whole, all the oil corporations are working safely. This is just an aberration. COSTELLO: But that’s what they say, it is just an aberration, but the BP disaster happened. Nobody thought that could happen either. So, it’s just not logical, is it, that argument? BOWER: We don’t stop driving on the road because of a car crash. People carry on driving and people walk up staircases and fall down them, but we still walk up stairs. So in the end — ACOSTA: Totally different when you’re talking about an entire body of water as important as the Gulf of Mexico. I mean, the question that I have is we’ve heard the governor of Louisiana, and I’m sure you watch him closely as well, Bobby Jindal, you know, talk about why this moratorium should be lifted for the sake of jobs and so forth. But at the same time, the governor is saying we need to built berms, we need to do all these other things to protect our coastline, and I’m just curious, you know, is there a little bit of a having your cake and eat it, too, when it comes to some of these Gulf Coast politicians saying we want the jobs and the protection from any environmental impact at the same time? BOWER: Look, I’m not an apologist for the oil industry, but I must tell you that on the whole, their record is very good. And America needs the oil, it needs the gas, and the product in the Gulf has been superb, and they’re doing very good job down there on the whole. So, you know, just like we don’t stop fly when a plane crashes, you just got to improve the regulation — ACOSTA: What do you mean they’re doing a very good job on the whole down there? I don’t know what that means. In what sense? You know, I mean, this entire body of water is at risk right now. It has been poisoned. And I’m just curious, what do you mean by doing a good job? Because the other day, there were CEOs from the entire oil industry testifying on Capitol Hill saying that if they were to also engage in deepwater oil drilling, they essentially have the same plan of action in place if there is a major catastrophe, which is, well, we just have to, you know, see if we can plug the hole. BOWER: Look, again, I can only say I’m not an apologist for the industry, but they are extracting amazing amounts of oil from the most difficult conditions. You got to ask why they’re in the Gulf and not getting it from Mexico, Venezuela or Russia. That’s one of the great issues. ACOSTA: Are you saying that we basically put ourselves in this position? I mean, is that your point? BOWER: I think the countries have gotten the oil to put America in that position. But on the whole, they have done a very good job in the Gulf and the executives who testified on the Hill like (INAUDIBLE) have not had these sort of catastrophes that BP is just having. So, I got to repeat on the whole, they’ve done an amazing job to find oil and gas there, and they are bringing it out safely. The point is that the administration discovered that the regulators, the MMS have done a very poor job so the government has got some of the blame here. They’ve let the oil corporations get away with murder for too long. They’ve now learned a lesson. They’ll clearly have much better regulations down in the Gulf and elsewhere as well, because, believe me, they’re going to have to start digging for oil and drilling for oil off other coastlines around the U.S. again in the near future because America needs the oil. COSTELLO: Funny you mentioned that because BP is doing that, you know, off the shores of Alaska and it’s doing this maneuver where they’re drilling it’s three miles offshore, they drilling down very deeply, and then they’re going to make a horizontal line, something that’s never been done before. So, BP, itself, is being allowed to go ahead with this process when we know that BP doesn’t have it together when it comes to extreme disasters and how to fix things. BOWER: You’re absolutely right. The horizontal drilling is really quite well established now. There’s nothing new on that. That is a very effective way of getting huge amounts of oil out which previously would have got lost. But I think BP has learned a lesson. I don’t think they’re going to make that sort of error again. They’re going to be more careful than ever. They can’t afford another catastrophe nor can any other oil corporation. I mean, you just got to set the seed that of course oil is a very risky business as I show in the book. What they’ve done down in the Gulf is quite phenomenal. This is a catastrophe which never should have happened. Everyone is learning lessons. They’re going to do their best to prevent it from happening again, but the government has got as much responsibility now as the oil corporations to make sure that the regulations are there and enforced. COSTELLO: Tom Bower, many thanks to you this morning. We appreciate it. BOWER: Pleasure. ACOSTA: I’m not sure I agree that they’re doing a bang-up job down there, but that’s just my take on it. COSTELLO: You mean BP or the oil industry as a whole? Because I think he was separating them out. ACOSTA: I think he was trying to separate it, but it just doesn’t feel right, you know, to say that as a whole, the industry’s just doing a great job down there. COSTELLO: It’s sort of like you have to trust them that catastrophes similar to what’s happening with BP doesn’t happen again. And the oil companies are saying, “well, we have a great safety record.” But BP said that, too. ACOSTA: Yes. We can’t go on like this. We’ll move on. –Alex Fitzsimmons is a News Analysis intern at the Media Research Center. Click here to follow you on Twitter.

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Sir Paul Compares Global Warming Skeptics to Holocaust Deniers – Says of Obama, "I Really Love Him"

Posted on June 25, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Seems the only thing gushing more than the BP oil spill these days is the disaster brewing in Paul McCartney’s mouth.  In an exclusive interview with The Sun , McCartney takes a major swipe at global warming realists, er, deniers, by stating (emphasis mine): “Sadly we need disasters like this to show people. Some people don’t believe in climate warming – like those who don’t believe there was a Holocaust.” Well that’s putting things in perspective.  I’m not sure global warming has been proven to have caused the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion.  Missed that report.  Regardless, it remains unclear how the theory of global warming is in any way similar to the reality of the Holocaust. McCartney goes on to defend President Obama from any and all criticism concerning the Gulf disaster, culminating with the revelation that he “really love(s) him.” Because nobody was really sure where your allegiances lied after the ‘library’ swipe at former President Bush, Paul. McCartney starts with a blanket dismissal of the Obama critics: “I don’t accept the criticism of Barack over the oil spill.” He continues, “If the President of the country you spilled oil in tells you off then you’ve just got to take it or say, ‘I’m really sorry, we’ll clean it up and pay for it all by next week.” Now I ask, why didn’t BP think of that in the first place?  All of these failed attempts and confusion in trying to ‘plug the damn hole’, and all Tony Hayward had to do to make things right was say, “I’m really sorry, we’ll clean it up and pay for it all by next week.” Of his recent visit to the White House, McCartney recalls, “It was such an honour. I’d heard of the prize – it’s the biggest for popular music in the US. When the President gave it to me, I was so touched. I’m a huge Obama supporter. I really love him.” He also gushes, “I think Obama’s doing great. He’s a smart guy.” I’m not sure what it is, but McCartney is clearly smitten with our ‘smart guy’ President.  Perhaps it was his spelling of the University of ‘Sycacuse’ .  Perhaps it was his over-estimation of a tornado death toll by roughly 9,988.  Maybe it was his firm grasp of geography .  Or his love of Sioux City . No word on whether it was true that Sir Paul went on to say, “He had me at 57 states .” Based on these comments it is clear that, as The Sun interview states, McCartney has been spending too much time sitting in “a darkened room lit only by scented candles … to gather his thoughts.” Clearly the gathering isn’t working.  To be fair though, even the Dutch skimmers would have a tough time reigning in those thoughts. – Send comments or tips to rustyweiss@verizon.net . Please join me on Facebook.   Photo Credit:  AFP/Getty

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CNN’s Carol Costello Hypes Up Greenpeace, Sierra Club, and Liberal Environmental Agenda

Posted on June 24, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

On the June 24 “American Morning,” CNN’s Carol Costello trumpeted a “revitalized” environmental movement that is hoping the Gulf oil spill will “change the way we feel about oil” and is aggressively lobbying Congress to pass radical climate change legislation. Previewing the “Gut Check” segment, Costello gleefully teased, “Coming up next, environmentalists are revitalized and it’s over the Gulf oil spill. Could this disaster be what we need in this country to change the way we feel about oil?” In lockstep with the Left’s environmental agenda, the fill-in anchor pondered whether the Gulf oil spill would crystallize support for a climate bill or would “it be back to business as usual?” Costello articulated the same phrase environmental groups frequently employ to manufacture a false sense of urgency around their liberal initiatives. Interviewing David Rauschkolb, founder of Hands Across the Sand, a liberal group opposed to offshore drilling, Costello praised the forerunner to Rauschkolb’s new group – Earth Day – for “strengthening the Clean Air Act and helping President Nixon create the Environmental Protection Agency.” Costello did not reach out to conservative critics who argue that draconian environmental regulations stymie economic growth and breed unemployment. Costello also claimed that the Sierra Club, a juggernaut in the environmental movement, capitalized on conservative criticism to generate public support for liberal causes. “When Rush Limbaugh blamed environmentalists for forcing onshore drilling offshore, the Sierra Club used Limbaugh’s comments to raise $120,000 and 110,000 signatures for climate legislation,” contended Costello, who failed to address the substance of the conservative talk show host’s argument. Further hyping the fringe environmental movement and its toxic agenda, Costello noted Clean Energy Works’s robust lobbying campaign for “clean energy legislation” and GreenPeace’s contest to design a new BP logo, without labeling either of these liberal organizations appropriately. Back in the studio, co-host John Roberts sensibly stated that America “can’t stop drilling because we’re not going to stop driving cars.” Channeling her inner liberal, Costello would not let her colleague’s simple logic deprive her of her wide-eyed optimism: “That’s true but will it drive something like climate change legislation? We just don’t know yet. That’s what environmentalists are hoping.” A full transcript of the segment can be found below: CNN American Morning 6/24/10 8:37 a.m. CAROL COSTELLO, co-host: Coming up next, environmentalists are revitalized and it’s over the Gulf oil spill. Could this disaster be what we need in this country to change the way we feel about oil? We’ll try to answer that question in a “Gut Check” coming up next. It’s 37 minutes past the hour. JOHN ROBERTS, co-host: 41 minutes after the hour. A growing number of environmentalists are hoping that the oil crisis in the Gulf will change how Americans treat the environment. We’ve seen that kind of quick reaction after disasters in the past. COSTELLO: I know, you know, Earth Day was born out of an oil disaster. So we wondered: will people really care? Will it change the way we feel about oil or will it be back to business as usual? A “Gut Check” for you this morning.              It’s called Hands Across the Sand. Back in February it drew 10,000 Floridians in protest of offshore drilling. This weekend, Hands says it goes international: 599 American cities will take part, as will 20 countries. DAVID RAUSCHKOLB, Hands Across the Sand: I believe this is a huge opportunity for us and it’s time we take control of our energy future. COSTELLO: David Rauschkolb hopes Hands will be the catalyst Earth Day was back in 1970. It was born after an oil spill in California and is credited for strengthening the Clean Air Act and helping President Nixon create the Environmental Protection Agency. The Clean Energy Works Campaign has hopes too – its launched an ad campaign pushing for clean energy legislation. GreenPeace is actively using the spill as a catalyst too, its members so intent to do something a contest to design a new BP logo has attracted half a million visitors to its Web site. The Sierra Club site is hot too. When Rush Limbaugh blamed environmentalists for forcing onshore drilling offshore… RUSH LIMBAUGH, conservative radio host: When do we ask the Sierra Club to pick up the tab for this leak? COSTELLO:…the Sierra Club used Limbaugh’s comments to raise $120,000 and 110,000 signatures for climate legislation. MICHAEL BRUNE, Sierra Club: This is our chance to actually move beyond oil and the outstanding question – the question that remains – is whether or not President Obama will seize this opportunity and get us off oil once and for all. COSTELLO: While all the passion sounds good for who critics would call “tree huggers,” is it real? Psychologist Jeff Gardere says while oiled birds, dirtied beaches, and black tides will raise awareness, it may not last. After all, there are government regulators already in place who are supposed to prevent disasters like this and didn’t. So why bother? Environmentalists get that but say this disaster will cut through the cynicism.                  BRUNE: We’ve set the ocean on fire, we’ve put thousands of fishermen and women out of work. The coastal tourism economy is collapsing and all of this is happening in slow motion. COSTELLO: It may be happening in slow motion, but Americans have a complicated relationship with oil, and nowhere is that better demonstrated than in Louisiana – they’re angry at BP but they sure don’t want the oil industry to go away. ROBERTS: You’re right, there’s so many people down there – one side of the family is in the fishing industry or the  tourism industry and the other side of the family is in the oil industry. They know that they have to co-exist. I mean, anything that raises awareness of the environment is a good thing, but you know, you’ve got to have – you can’t stop drilling because we’re not going to stop driving cars. COSTELLO: That’s true but will it drive something like climate change legislation? We just don’t know yet. That’s what environmentalists are hoping. –Alex Fitzsimmons is a News Analysis intern at the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter.

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NBC’s Williams Blames Obama’s Plummeting Approval on Getting Dragged Into Gulf Oil Leak

Posted on June 23, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Unlike Katie Couric on Monday night , on Wednesday evening NBC’s Brian Williams didn’t hide the bad news for President Obama in the network’s latest poll, but Williams and Savannah Guthrie sure seemed to lament the public mood’s swing against Obama as Williams attributed it to how Obama “had to touch” the gulf oil leak, “he had to own it and now he’s getting tagged with how he’s reacting to it.” As if Obama had nothing to do with it, Guthrie agreed he’s “had a barrage of bad headlines on some of these very issues of leadership, handling a crisis…” “If you’re the White House looking at these numbers we’re about to debut tonight, there isn’t much here that’s encouraging right now,” Williams warned of the NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey findings. Guthrie agreed: “There’s not a lot of good news in this poll for the White House. Gushing oil, persistent unemployment the real problem.” Online, MSNBC.com’s headline also ascribed Obama’s troubles to the gulf: “ Spill drags the President’s rating down .” The subhead, over the posting by NBC News Deputy Political director Mark Murray, emphasized a bright spot in areas Guthrie noted declines : “A silver lining for Obama is that his personal scores are still strong.” Guthrie recounted how “for the first time ever in our poll, more disapprove of the President than approve” and how “we saw big drops in issues like likability, compassion, leadership, relatability, handling of a crisis. Why?” She explained: “The oil spill. 50 percent said they disapprove of how the President has been handling this oil spill. 42 percent say they approve.” That prompted Williams to rue: What’s so interesting here, the advice to the President for weeks was “if you touch it, you own it” – meaning the oil spill crisis. But the public anger was such that he had to touch it, he had to own it and now he’s getting tagged with how he’s reacting to it. (Monday night: “ CBS Poll Finds Tough Numbers for Obama on Oil Leak, But Couric Hides Them ”) From the Wednesday, June 23 NBC Nightly News: BRIAN WILLIAMS: We’re back, as promised, with our new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. It says a lot about the mood of this country right now, how Americans are feeling these days about their President and even the upcoming November elections. Now, if you’re the White House looking at these numbers we’re about to debut tonight, there isn’t much here that’s encouraging right now. Our White House correspondent Savannah Guthrie has paid us a visit here in New York tonight with the numbers. Savannah, welcome, good evening. SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Good evening, Brian. As you said, there’s not a lot of good news in this poll for the White House. Gushing oil, persistent unemployment the real problem. Let’s look at the top line number: the approval rating for President Obama. It has never been this low, 45 percent. For the first time ever in our poll, more disapprove [48%] of the President than approve. Is the country headed in the right direction? This is the question that pollsters and White House advisers watch closely. This is the highest number of the presidency: 62 percent say this country is on the wrong track, 29 percent say it is going in the right direction. You know, Brian, even advisers have gone through these policy changes, things that the public expressed doubt about. Likability of the President, those leadership qualities he’s always rated high. This is the first time really our poll has shown a drop in those, plummeted in some cases. You see, this is his worst personal rating — 47 percent positive, 40 percent negative. We saw big drops in issues like likability, compassion, leadership, relatability, handling of a crisis. Why? The next number, Brian, might tell the story. The oil spill. 50 percent said they disapprove of how the President has been handling this oil spill. 42 percent say they approve — by the way, we did this poll after the Oval Office address last week, after the President secured $20 billion from BP. And then finally, some good news for Republicans. They edged out Democrats when we asked, “Who would you like to control Congess?” 45 percent said Republicans, 43 percent said Democrats. This is a number that is always tight, but the Republicans edged out the Democrats in this one. BRIAN WILLIAMS: What’s so interesting here, the advice to the President for weeks was “if you touch it, you own it” – meaning the oil spill crisis. But the public anger was such that he had to touch it, he had to own it and now he’s getting tagged with how he’s reacting to it. GUTHRIE: No question about it and let’s face it, he had a barrage of bad headlines on some of these very issues of leadership, handling a crisis, compassion. So, perhaps not surprising that he’s taken a hit there.

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Matthews: Canning Stan Helps Obama’s Oil Spill Image

Posted on June 23, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Another leg tingle is on the way for MSNBC “Hardball” host Chris Matthews. Wednesday on “Andrea Mitchell Reports,” Chris Matthews asserted that the President’s image had been tainted because “BP has been the front institution, not the United States government, in this whole horror down in the gulf.” Yet, the White House no longer needs to worry, because to Matthews, the releasing of General McChrystal benefits the President’s image of handling the oil spill by creating a “chance for him and somewhat in a way or somewhat in a personnel manner to insist on his role as Commander in Chief.” Andrea Mitchell was relieved because according to a new poll, “only 50% think that the president is doing a good job in handling the oil spill.” Nevertheless, Matthews made sure to explain that although the President’s image may pay a price, it was us who,”created this problem through our capitalist system, free enterprise system and now we have to fix it.” Alas, the culprit is capitalism! Wait, even in China? [Proof available here ]

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CNN Mocks Obama Golfing During Oil Spill: ‘Just Plug the Darn Hole Mr. President’

Posted on June 23, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

CNN on Tuesday actually noticed the absurdity of folks bashing BP CEO Tony Hayward for yachting on the same day President Obama was golfing. National correspondent Jeanne Moos surprisingly began her “American Morning” piece, “It’s the yachting versus golf smack down, round one.” After showing average Americans complaining about Hayward’s R&R, Moos quipped, “But before you could spell BP CEO, President Obama’s golfing came under attack.” Children were shown expressing their displeasure with the Golfer in Chief, “In the two hours it takes to golf or to go yachting another one to 10,000 gallons of oil can leak out.” This led Moos to marvelously conclude, “Just plug the darn hole Mr. President” (video follows with transcript and commentary, h/t Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey ):  JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It’s the yachting versus golf smack down, round one. BP’s CEO gets pummeled for taking a day off to watch his yacht race. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How dare he just take off. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The height of stupidity. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do you spell fool? MOOS: But before you could spell BP CEO, President Obama’s golfing came under attack. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Almost five hours on the golf course with Biden. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And it should have been eight times between — MOOS: Actually, seven times. CBS White House correspondent, Mark Knoller, says already President Obama has played 39 rounds of golf compared to the 24 George Bush played his entire presidency, including some that got into a Michael Moore film. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop these terrorist killers. Thank you. Now watch this drive. MOOS: Some equate President Obama’s golf to Tony Hayward’s yachting, two different men, two different jobs, one management style, the president’s defenders note a big difference. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That’s the thing. He didn’t create that mess that is there. What do they want the man to do? Put a wet suit on and go down there and fix the pipe. MOOS: Meanwhile, Politico pondered the really important question, why is Tony Hayward’s yacht named Bob? Wondering if it had anything to do with the Bill Murray movie, “What About Bob?” Sailors so scared he has to be lashed to the mast. Now, Tony Hayward is being lashed. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I really think it was a disgrace. MOOS: On the other hand, surprisingly (ph), it was the first day off he’s had in two months. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I really don’t care. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Too bad. Look what he did. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I’ll be damned if his life is a day off (ph). UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think he’s probably do for a little down time. MOOS: But down time on the water can be a downer. Remember when presidential candidate, John Kerry, went wind surfing and it ended up in an attack ad. BP CEO is being mocked in an animation by a Taiwanese tabloid website. He sits on the beach, sending out a drink to a guy — drowning an oil from the mounts of bays (ph). UNIDENTIFIED KID: My mom doesn’t take a break like every two months. You don’t really need to take a break every two months to go and see a yacht race. UNIDENTIFIED KID: In the two hours, it takes to golf or to go yachting another one to 10,000 gallons of oil can leak out. UNIDENTIFIED KID: President Obama, I’m not sure he should actually be golfing right now. MOOS: Just plug the darn hole Mr. President. Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York. Readers should notice at 1:37 a screen shot of a NewsBusters piece on this subject published Sunday. Thanks for the plug, Jeanne – and NICE report. 

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Robert Redford Blames Cheney for America’s ‘Failed Energy Policy’

Posted on June 22, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Actor Robert Redford lambasted America’s energy plan that he claimed led to the Gulf disaster, laying the responsibility at the feet of former Vice President Cheney. Appearing Monday night on “Anderson Cooper 360,” Redford blamed the Gulf oil spill not only on BP, but also because of the “failed” energy policy that led to this disaster. ‘There’s a lot being said about BP, and there’s a lot of truth that’s finally bubbling up to the surface,” Redford acknowledged. “But what I’m more interested in is – is looking at it from a historical point of view and trying to connect some dots about how we got here.” “Look, I think one of the reasons we’re in this problem is because we have not only a failed energy policy, but we have an energy policy – because of the way it was designed, and who it was designed by, Cheney – it’s sick and it’s dangerous.” Redford, who supports Obama’s drilling moratorium,  mandated that America must shed its current energy policy and adopt a new one. He rebuked the present policy as an unholy alliance of sorts between Congress, the government, and Big Oil. He gave the example of the US Minerals Management Service (MMS) as an example of a government agency that was asleep at the wheel in its oversight of oil companies. “Look, all that stuff has come out, and it’s painfully obvious what’s happened – the corruption that came with MMS as a result of Dick Cheney and how he engineered this whole thing,” he maintained. Redford’s solution? Get rid of former Vice President Dick Cheney – who’s been a private citizen for 17 months now – and his cronies. “You’ve got to get rid of Cheney and every – and all the horses he came in with. You’ve got to get rid of his energy policy. It’s bad for our health. It’s bad for our economy. It’s bad for our future.” A transcript of Anderson Cooper’s interview with Robert Redford, which aired on June 21, at 10:22 p.m. EDT, is as follows: ANDERSON COOPER, host: As you look at BP’s response to this spill, what stands out? I mean — I think, for a lot of people on the ground here, it’s the lack of transparency that we have seen. What surprises you about the way BP has handled this so far? ROBERT REDFORD: Nothing. What I’m kind of interested in here is, you know, there’s a lot being said about BP, and there’s a lot of truth that’s finally bubbling up to the surface. But what I’m more interested in is — is looking at it from a historical point of view and trying to connect some dots about how we got here. And, you know, when you stop and think about BP’s promises and the consequence of the collusion between government, Congress and big oil companies, what you get is what we’ve got: a failed energy policy — a terrible energy policy — that allowed this to happen. And so, I think, I’m interested in seeing if we can get to the public, connect the dots as to how we got here because we — there have been other disasters despite what they’re saying that have happened. COOPER: It’s interesting because — I mean, Senate Republicans told the President last week, look, focus on the oil spill right now, not on an energy bill. They say the President can’t afford any distractions until this is under control. You say the opposite. You say this is the time to focus on an energy bill. REDFORD: Look, I think one of the reasons we’re in this problem is because we have not only a failed energy policy, but we have an energy policy — because of the way it was designed by who it was designed by, Cheney — it’s sick and it’s dangerous. And any energy policy that’s designed behind closed doors with oil, gas and coal companies is bound to end up being a disaster of some sort. So, I think, we need a new energy policy. And I don’t think it’s next week, or next year or even — it’s now. If we miss this opportunity, we’re missing an incredible opportunity. And history will probably tell us that. So, get rid of this energy policy. It’s a disaster. COOPER: Do you think President Obama has shown leadership in that direction? I mean, he talked — he didn’t really give any details last week about what he wants to see in an energy bill. Were you satisfied with what you heard? Or were you looking for more specifics? REDFORD: No, I wasn’t satisfied with what I heard. I’m somewhat sympathetic to what the guy’s dealing with because he had all these other issues that were paramount when this thing came forward. And I don’t think he or the administration was quite prepared. Nor do I think BP was prepared. Nobody was prepared. I think he’s trying to do the best he can, but I think he’s got to do more. And I think if he thinks that he’s going to push something through with any kind of bipartisanship, I think it should be clear by now that there’s so many voices coming at him from the other side — the voices that, for me, is coming out of the Ice Age, you know, that he should forget about that. He better grab this moment. And I think the public is going to have to push him to push Congress. But he better push them. COOPER: Obviously, around here, the drilling moratorium, the deepwater drilling moratorium is hugely unpopular. There are a lot of jobs at stake here, there’s people suing in courts to try to get this thing overturned — although that seems unlikely to happen. We’ll have a ruling probably by tomorrow. You, obviously, I’m guessing, support the moratorium. Why? REDFORD: Well, I support the moratorium, because I think there’s so many disasters that have occurred in the past when we’ve been lied to about the fact that they would not happen. They have happened. Why have they happened? Because of the collusion between government, Congress and the big oil companies. So, I think — look, we’re not going to get rid of oil. I mean, we should accept that. I accept it. I worked in an oilfield as a kid. But I think what we’re asking for now is a new energy policy. And I think that — I’m totally sympathetic to the people in the Gulf who have lost their jobs, their way of life, environmental devastation and so forth. I understand the voices that want to not have a moratorium because they think it’s going to help jobs. But I think the first thing that should happen is that we have got to figure out — first of all, make sure BP pays every dime that’s owed to these people. My heart goes out to the people on the Gulf. And they need to be paid. And Obama has to push them to do it. Second, we’ve got to figure out how it happened. Why did this happen when we were told over and over again it wouldn’t happen? COOPER: And in terms of oversight by the government — I mean, clearly, the government, both under the Bush administration and even under the Obama administration, have not done as much in terms of reforming MMS. I mean, MMS, which has now been renamed today, has essentially, you know, been kind of a lap dog. REDFORD: It has. Look, all that stuff has come out, and it’s painfully obvious what’s happened — the corruption that came with MMS as a result of Dick Cheney and how he engineered this whole thing. You got to get rid of Cheney and every — and all the horses he came in with. You got to get rid of his energy policy. It’s bad for our health. It’s bad for our economy. It’s bad for our future. And I think the administration has to step up, get tough, get quick, and be very clear about what they’re prescribing. I think they have to be very clear about why there should be some moratorium, like should Shell be allowed to drill up in the Alaskan refuge? No, not yet. We got to get some facts in order first. COOPER: Robert Redford, I appreciate your time tonight. Thank you. REDFORD: You’re welcome.

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CNBC Reporter Attacks Obama for Creating ‘His Own Sense of a Legal System’ over Oil Spill

Posted on June 16, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

There has been a lot of criticism hurled at President Obama over his handling of the BP oil spill. Some on the left are upset the president hasn’t been more forceful with the oil giant. Those on the right generally argue Obama’s leadership has been inadequate. Rarely has the president been criticized for specific actions on this issue. But on “Closing Bell” June 16 , CNBC’s Matt Nesto was asked whether BP acted appropriately by agreeing to the White House’s terms by cutting its dividend payments and agreeing to a $20 billion escrow account. Nesto argued that the administration was circumventing the legal system with such acts.  “I don’t think they [BP] had a [choice],” Nesto said. “In cutting the dividend or in joining up with that fund? I mean, cutting the dividend – yeah it is smart and prudent to save cash in the face of an unknown liability, but I’m very troubled by the fact, uh, that the President has once again created his own sense of, of a legal system.” Nesto cited previous instances where Obama has acted in an unprecedented ways to back up his claim and explained Obama was operating outside the presidency’s intended function. “He fired the CEO of General Motors. He circumvented the rights of bond holders in the GM situation and now he’s confiscated $20 billion from a private company – wait a minute – to set up, quote, ‘a financial and legal framework’ that already exists,” Nesto continued. “It’s not his job to create laws. It’s his job to enforce laws.” Although BP’s ability to stem the flow of the oil from the Deepwater Horizon well, the oil company has reacted to many of the government’s public requests, including suspending their dividend .  “They are doing that,” Nesto said. “Why do they have to have a gun to their head? There is a thing called due process my friends. There’s gonna be a lot of litigation, as there should, right?”

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Doing the Job Media Won’t Do: Fact-checking Obama’s Gulf Spill Address

Posted on June 16, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Plenty of prominent media figures were upset with President Obama over his substandard address to the nation last night ( full text ). While most are distraught, none seem to be doing what should be the essential journalistic task of the day: pointing out all of the factual misstatements the president made. So, in absence of a serious attempt at fact-checking from the legacy media, let us undertake some of our own. In all, the president misrepresented the federal government’s–and especially his cabinet’s–role in creating the conditions that led to the spill, the state of the nation’s oil reserves, and his own administration’s involvement with BP. Futhermore, his transition from discussing the Gulf spill to advocating “clean energy” legislation was a huge logical leap, and one that necessarily misrepresents the problems the nation faces with regard to energy. The latter was perhaps the president’s most subtle sleight of hand. He claimed the Gulf spill is “the most painful and powerful reminder yet that the time to embrace a clean energy future is now. Now is the moment for this generation to embark on a national mission to unleash America’s innovation and seize control of our own destiny.” Now, if the president had stated the spill is a reminder that the nation needs to get off of oil–that disasters like this are an unfortunate, if rare consequence of harvesting crude oil–he would have had a point. But that is not what he said. He claimed the disaster underscores the need for “clean” energy, which presumably does not include coal, the dirtiest of them all. But the Gulf spill has no bearing on coal energy. Also intended to promote the “clean energy” cause was Obama’s misleading statement that “Countries like China are investing in clean energy jobs and industries that should be right here in America.” In fact, as the Heritage Foundation notes , China “will account for nearly 45% of oil demand growth in the next five years, receives 70% of its energy from coal already, and is projected to nearly triple coal capacity by 2030.” Say what you will about clean energy or coal, but the president’s advocacy of his own energy agenda despite the facts was as obvious as it was unseemly. Moving forward, Obama also misrepresented the state of the oil industry itself. He claimed that Americans “consume more than 20% of the world’s oil, but have less than 2% of the world’s oil reserves. And that’s part of the reason oil companies are drilling a mile beneath the surface of the ocean – because we’re running out of places to drill on land and in shallow water.” “This howler,” writes John Hinderaker at Power Line, “is a favorite canard of Democratic politicians”:  As is so often the case, they are relying on the public’s ignorance. Most people don’t realize that in the U.S., oil isn’t counted as part of our “reserves” unless it is legally available for drilling. Thus, ANWR, to take one of many examples, isn’t counted toward the total “reserves.” The U.S. government could cause our reserves to skyrocket overnight by opening new areas, on land and in shallow water, to drilling. But the U.S. is the only country in the world that has deliberately chosen not to develop its own energy resources. No one else is that dumb. So the reason oil companies drill a mile beneath the water is not that there are not ample supplies of crude in other parts of the United States, but rather that the federal government does not permit drilling in so many of those areas. According to Kiplinger Magazine (by way of the American Thinker ), “untapped reserves are estimated at about 2.3 trillion barrels, nearly three times more than the reserves held by Organization of Petroleum Exporting Counties (OPEC) and sufficient to meet 300 years of demand-at today’s levels-for auto, aircraft, heating and industrial fuel, without importing a single barrel of oil.” Not surprisingly, the misdeeds of the oil industry were, of course, a frequent refrain in the president’s speech. But he also misrepresented that industry’s culpability by claiming “time and again, the path forward [to further regulation] has been blocked…by oil industry lobbyists.” What the president conveniently neglected to mention, however, was that BP has been an advocate of most of his energy agenda. As the Examiner’s Tim Carney reminds us : BP “has lobbied for tax hikes, greenhouse gas restraints, the stimulus bill, the Wall Street bailout, and subsidies for oil pipelines, solar panels, natural gas and biofuels… BP was a founding member of the U.S. Climate Action Partnership (USCAP), a lobby dedicated to passing a cap-and-trade bill. As the nation’s largest producer of natural gas, BP saw many ways to profit from climate legislation, notably by persuading Congress to provide subsidies to coal-fired power plants that switched to gas. Though the company left USCAP, it did not stop lobbying for cap and trade, and later “signed off” on Senate cap and trade legislation as well as explicitly lobbied for a higher gas tax. So Obama’s insistence the oil industry has opposed relevant regulations tooth and nail is less than accurate. While Obama was placing as much unearned blame at industry’s feet as possible, he was also sidestepping his own administration’s complicity in the crisis. He stated towards the beginning of his speech: A few months ago, I approved a proposal to consider new, limited offshore drilling under the assurance that it would be absolutely safe –- that the proper technology would be in place and the necessary precautions would be taken. That obviously was not the case in the Deepwater Horizon rig, and I want to know why. Well, perhaps he should ask his cabinet members–you know, the ones he just put in charge of the new commission investigating the incident. On March 31 in a speech at Andrews Air Force Base, he told the nation that Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, and climate czar Carol Browner had assured him that additional Gulf Coast drilling would be safe. But the president of course did not put the blame at their feet. In fact, as Byron York noted : [I]n this moment of crisis, Obama is relying on the same team that earlier gave him “the assurance that [offshore drilling] would be absolutely safe” — advice that he now openly says was wrong. And what is the “green team” telling him now? That it is impossible to stop the flow of oil into the Gulf. Politico’s Mike Allen channels West Wing thought this way: The Gulf gusher is a battle we can’t win. So we had to make this tragedy about something bigger than the liveshot of spewing oil. So having surrendered on the challenge of stopping the oil, Obama tried to redirect the public’s attention away from the spill and onto the political debate over a cap-and-trade bill. The short version of the strategy: Give up and change the subject. Like everything else Obama has tried so far in the Gulf crisis, it won’t work. Indeed. 

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Doing the Job Media Won’t Do: Fact-checking Obama’s Gulf Spill Address

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