It is by now obvious that even after we stop the gentle trickle of oil that's currently expressing itself into the Gulf of Mexico (thank you so much, BP) we are not going to be able to get that oil out of the water for some considerable length of time--and if you think it could take years, I wouldn't bet against you.
While BP is the legally responsible party, out on the water it will be up to the Coast Guard to manage the Federal response, and to determine that BP is running things in a way that gets the work done not only correctly and safely, but, in a world of limited resources, efficiently.
Which brings us to the obvious question: can the Coast Guard manage such a complex undertaking?
While we hope they can, you need to know that the Coast Guard has been trying to manage the replacement of their fleet of ships and aircraft for about a decade now...and the results have been so stunningly bad that you and I are now the proud owners of a small flotilla of ships that can never be used, because if they go to sea, they might literally break into pieces.
It's an awful story, and before we're done you'll understand why Deepwater was already an ugly word around Headquarters, years before that oil rig blew up.
In case you missed it, Congressman Charlie Melancon has been calling for the resignation of BP's CEO, Tony Hayward, even circulating an online petition that has over 1500 e-signatures. Apparently, Melancon was none too happy after Hayward mentioned wanting the spill to be resolved because he wants his life back. Now this from an article on Nola.com:
The Huffington Post report said that Keith Jones was the Keith who signed the online petition in slot No. 848 with the comment, "My son died aboard the Transocean Deepwater Horizon. That's whose life Tony Hayward ought to want back." The report said Keith Jones' identity was confirmed through an e-mail exchange with him at his law firm in Baton Rouge.
