Tag Archives: BP

Barack Obama: First Female President?

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I was listening to WMAL’s The Grandy Group this morning on my commute into work, and they were discussing Kathleen Parker’s recent op-ed in The Washington Post, where she makes the clear comparison to how President Barack Obama is acting like a woman in terms of his leadership. During their discussion, many callers were agreeing with Parker’s statements and citing Obama’s lack of leadership with the BP crisis, along with other issues.

The question still remains: Does President Obama act like a female? Good question and one whose answer should not be taken lightly. This is also a topic that requires sensitivity.

While I agree with a few of the points raised in Ms. Parker’s op-ed, I would not go as far to say that Obama is the first female President. After all, he does not meet the gender requirements (though, you could imagine that this opens the doors for a new movement…the gender-izers) for this title. To say, that he acts like a female, this would mean offending many, myself included. Females are strong, sensitive, and personable. I mean, we take care of family (round-the-clock…you know, cooking, cleaning, keeping the house in order…i.e., the 24-hour shift), friends, and working outside the home. Obama does not fit that criteria by a long shot, as he is the Commander-in-Chief of our country…a full-time job with little to no explanation and one that requires leadership.

Ms. Parker was right in one area is that Obama should take more incentive in being a leader, rather than shying away from his elected duties. When Obama heard about the BP oil spill, his response was “Plug the Damn Hole.” It was masculine, but instead of taking the leadership role, he has shied away and focusing on other more important matters…playing golf, taking the Russian President to a burger joint. It appears that Obama is insecure about his leadership abilities and is delegating his job to Congress, who seems to have more power at this point than the President.

Perhaps, it is time for Obama to realize that being President requires strong leadership and determination. Instead of taking time off to play golf, Obama should be down in Louisiana working to solve the BP crisis or working to improve the economy (this is the top issue concerning Americans right now). If he continues this path, it does not bode well for his re-election chances come 2012.

Politics as usual for the Obama Administration

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There have been a lot of references within the blogosphere and mainstream media recently comparing the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico as President Barack Obama’s “Hurricane Katrina.” Why would such an analogy be posed? Well, take a look at today’s editorial in The Washington Examiner (reminder: the language in the editorial is a little salty) into why this crisis is being mismanaged by the Obama Administration.

An angry, frustrated President Obama reportedly exhorted aides to just “plug the damn hole” a week after the crude oil and natural gas began blowing out of BP’s Deepwater Horizon well a mile below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico. Here’s a better piece of advice for Obama, his aides, and everybody else in Washington dealing with what is rapidly becoming the worst environmental disaster in American history: Stop the damn politics, quit pointing fingers, and focus on finding a solution. Nothing else matters until the well is capped. What has been desperately needed from the beginning of this tragedy is leadership. What we’ve gotten instead from the White House has been blame shifting, bureaucratic gamesmanship, and political opportunism.

This is great advice. Instead of playing politics and ahem…attending political fundraisers or vacationing in Chicago.

Now, the ramifications are being passed down to other offshore drilling sites. Recently, President Obama canceling the sale of the coast line off Virginia. This decision has been met with unfavorable reactions. Governor Bob McDonnell released this statement regarding the cancellation of the sale.

It is my hope that the President’s action does not signal the end of offshore energy exploration and production off Virginia in the years ahead. Once we have learned the lessons from this tragic accident, and made the necessary changes and improvements in the offshore industry and government oversight, we should move forward with environmentally responsible domestic offshore energy production for oil and natural gas. This nation needs more domestic energy production. If we decrease the amount of energy produced here in the United States, we will only increase the amount of energy we must import from overseas. We must have the foresight and objectivity to not let this tragic accident cripple our ability to increase energy production in the United States. That would be a tragedy in its own right.

Just as Americans did not quit or retreat from innovation after tragedies in space exploration, so must we learn, change and persevere in advancing energy independence by using all our natural resources. The spirit of American progress is to overcome adversity and conquer obstacles, not quit and accept failure. Our nation needs domestic energy production and the jobs and security that come with it. I am a strong proponent of a comprehensive energy policy for Virginia and America. We should greatly increase our domestic production and utilization of all energy sources. That includes offshore and onshore wind, coal, solar, nuclear, biofuels, waste to energy, natural gas and, with the appropriate improvements in the industry incorporated moving forward, offshore oil and gas. I have great confidence in American ingenuity, intelligence and innovation, and our ability to properly and reasonably move forward following this major setback.”

Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling also released a statement saying:

“I am extremely disappointed that President Obama has chosen to cancel the Virginia lease sale for offshore energy exploration that was scheduled for 2012. While I certainly agree that we need to learn from the accident that recently occurred in the Gulf of Mexico and take additional steps to minimize the chance of an incident of this nature occurring again, I remain convinced that offshore energy development can occur safely and I do not believe that we should abandon or postpone responsible efforts to develop our offshore energy resources.

“Proceeding with this lease sale would enable our country to achieve a greater degree of energy security, while enabling Virginia to achieve a greater degree of economic security. The President’s decision will deprive Virginia of the economic resources and jobs that could be created as a result of offshore energy development, resources that are needed to help address critical needs like transportation; and it will keep our country dependent on foreign nations for large amounts of our energy resources. I do not believe that this is the right policy for our country, and I will continue to work to advance the exploration and development of Virginia’s offshore energy resources at the earliest possible opportunity.”

Perhaps, it is time for President Obama to quit playing the politics card and actually display true leadership.