Monday, June 21, 2010

Obama Appoints Radical Environmentalists to Expert Panel Instead of Experts

As if we needed further proof that President Obama lives in a fantasy world of academic opinion, we see who he has appointed to a panel to investigate the Deepwater Horizon explosion and spill.

No one on this panel has any experience in the field of petroleum engineering. None. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Three of the panels' seven members are on record opposing offshore drilling; Bob Graham, Frances Beinecke, and Donald Boesch.

Are you surprised?

You shouldn't be, particularly in light of the other massive policy failures of the Obama administration. Obama seems to have a keen knack for picking the wrong person for advice. For example, he said the economists who provided the input into the Stimulus Bill claimed a "multiplier effect", that every dollar spent by Washington would result in the creation of $1.50 in the private sector. We have since learned that this has not happened. If this were true, then we'd be enjoying good times once more with the low unemployment figures prevalent during the Bush years despite 9-11 and two wars.

With three of the seven members of this panel demonstrating a bias against drilling, you can already guess what the conclusion of the panel will be, and it won't be favorable to America's real energy needs. This is by design, in case there are any who doubt why these particular members were chosen. Don't expect a dispassionate, objective collection of facts. Expect the opposite, much like the 9-11 Commission that very conveniently omitted the fact that President Clinton literally had Osama bin Laden in the crosshairs of a snipers' rifle, but declined to remove him for political reasons. Obama and his advisors have, once again, chosen to mollify their radical supporters on the left who want nothing less than a return to an 18th century way of life for the most advanced civilization on Earth.

One quote from the article above voiced by Frances Beinecke claims that the main cause of the spill is the tired trope that America is "addicted to oil". I've railed against this image of America as a junkie before. Not only is that statement an insult to the nation, it ignores reality. Further, it shows the ignorance of whomever utters it. This attitude has absolutely no place in a serious examination of this tragedy, particularly at the highest level of government.

I'll come right out and say it. We can do better than this. Mr. President, if you are to truly find the facts concerning the cause of this spill and prevent another disaster from occurring, it is imperative that your panel include industry experts in petroleum engineering and related industries, not radical, leftist environmentalists. Merely sharing your Marxist political views is not enough. It's almost as if you know that anyone inside the industry will most likely not be aligned with you politically.

We can see straight through your motives, Mr. President. This is one area where your administration is truly transparent.

This is a technical problem that requires technical solutions, not political rhetoric.

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