Research Briefing

The President Found An “Ass” To Kick For Lack Of

Drilling Oversight: The Democrat-Controlled Congress

When It Came To The BP Oil Spill, President Obama Said He Was Trying To Find Out “Whose Ass To Kick.” “First he was going to make BP pay for the Gulf oil mess. Then he declared himself in charge. Now he's trying to find out ‘whose ass to kick’ and making clear he'd fire BP's chief if only he could.” (“Obama's Getting Really, Really Mad — Or Is He?” The Associated Press, 6/8/10)

NOW OBAMA IS BLAMING CONGRESS FOR LACK OF

STRICTER DRILLING OVERSIGHT BY HIS ADMINISTRATION

President Obama Says That If He’d Asked Congress For Stricter Oversight, He Would Have Been Accused Of Wanting “Big-Government Overregulation.” “I think it’s fair to say, if six months ago, before this spill had happened, I had gone up to Congress and I had said we need to crack down a lot harder on oil companies and we need to spend more money on technology to respond in case of a catastrophic spill, there are folks up there, who will not be named, who would have said this is classic, big-government overregulation and wasteful spending.” (Roger Simon, “Obama Talks Of Oil Spill, Frustration And 2012,” Politico, 6/13/10)

But It Was The Obama Administration That “Did Too Little To Clean House” At MMS. “Though MMS's lax oversight dates back to its creation in 1982 by Interior Secretary James Watt, a disciple of deregulation, Obama and his team did too little to clean house when they took over — just as they've been too slow to seize control over the spill response from BP.” (Bryan Walsh, “The Gulf Disaster: Whose Asses Need Kicking?” Time, 6/10/10)

• Lack Of Oversight Created “Laissez-Faire Atmosphere In Which A Major Accident Was Just Waiting To Happen.” “The Deepwater Horizon spill was also a regulatory failure, one that was a long time coming. The Minerals Management Service (MMS), the Interior Department agency meant to oversee offshore drilling, did far too little for far too long, creating a laissez-faire atmosphere in which a major accident was just waiting to happen.” (Bryan Walsh, “The Gulf Disaster: Whose Asses Need Kicking?” Time, 6/10/10)

MAYBE OBAMA FORGOT DEMOCRATS CONTROL CONGRESS

Democrats Have Controlled House And Senate Since 2007. “Jubilant Democrats took the gavels in the Senate and House today for the first time in 12 years, pledging a new era in Congress and a new effort at bipartisan progress.” (David Stout, “Democrats Take the Gavels in Congress,” The New York Times, 1/4/07)

And Democrats Quickly Broke A Promise To Be Fair To The Minority Party And “Muscled Through” Their Agenda. “Second, as the decision to dump the promise of an open process to muscle through the first 100 hours agenda shows, it's a lot easier to vow fairness to the oppressed minority when you are it.” (Ruth Marcus, “Hard Work Begins Now for Democrats,” The Washington Post, 1/20/07)

• Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN) Confirmed House Dems Were Told Not To Work With GOP.  “Tom Daschle, Bob Dole and Howard Baker did what Congress is failing to do… And the White House released a statement praising this bipartisan leadership. In the House of Representatives, meanwhile, we are explicitly told not to work with Republicans.” (Rep. Jim Cooper, “Reconciliation Rules - Not Bipartisanship - Will Kill Health Care Reform,” The Huffington Post, 6/18/09)