As we await the start of President Obama's news conference on BP's oil spill (preview here), it's worth keeping in mind this point offered by Dan Froomkin in a post on the things Obama could have done differently:
Granted, none of the experts interviewed by the Huffington Post were able to come up with satisfactory solutions to the basic problem that don't involve time machines.
Oil is dirty. It's not safe and it never will be. Those who are demanding presidential swagger are sticking their heads in the sand about the fundamental problem: our addiction to oil.
9:49AM -- Here's video:
9:54AM -- President Obama started out discussing the ongoing 'top kill' operation and quickly turned to illustrating that the Federal government has been directing BP's response. President Obama says that the administration has been in charge of the operation, although BP is carrying out many of the actions. For example, he said, when BP suggested drilling one relief well, the administration demanded that BP drill two wells, one as backup. President Obama also noted the government has sent in thousands of relief workers, secured hundreds of thousands of feet of boom, approved portions of Jindal's barrier islands plan, and is working to make sure BP is held accountable for the costs of this spill and helping the Gulf Coast rebuild.
9:56AM -- Pres. Obama says that domestic oil production should be part of our overall energy plan, but that it must be produced more safely. He discussed the corruption in the MMS and the need for additional regulation and oversight. He specifically mentioned his plan to split the revenue and oversight functions of MMS. He also said he's also suspending two exploration projects in Alaska, the a proposed lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico and Virginia, and will continue the moratorium on deepwater drilling.
9:59AM -- Obama said that for too long the oil industry has effectively been allowed to regulate itself, citing as an example the regular practice of granting waivers allowing oil companies to skip environmental review.
10:01AM -- (I had initially been using Central Time Zone for my post updates. Now Pacific. Sorry!)
10:02AM -- "This disaster should serve as a wakeup call...to seize that future (of clean, renewable energy) ourselves."
10:07AM -- First question from AP about whether President Obama has done enough or has appeared engaged enough and whether the government has been trumped by BP. Obama's answer: anyone who thinks I haven't been engaged "doesn't know the facts." From the first day of the explosion he's taken briefings in the Oval Office. On the question of whether BP is running the show, Obama said that while BP has the technology to stop the leak and not the government, the government has still been in control of the operation. He said that going forward, he hopes the commission explores whether the government should obtain the technology to cap wells.
10:14AM -- The second question came from Jake Tapper about whether there were things that could have been done better. Tapper listed a few specific ideas suggested by Bobby Jindal, oil industry leaders, and researchers. President Obama said that while it's always possible to have done better, and that mistakes are likely to happen in operations this large, the response effort has examined every idea that's been out there, and evaluated those ideas, and made its best judgment.
10:18AM -- Chuck Todd asks for comment on Katrina comparisons and asks whether BP should be pushed aside from dealing with shoreline protection. On Katrina, Obama dismissed the question, saying he'd leave to the media to make their judgment, but noting that it's too early to judge because the situation is still developing. On the question of shoreline protection, he said that current law makes BP the responsible party, but the ultimate authority is held by the U.S. government. He said that there may be examples of where better decisions need to be made, but the structure already establishes lines of authority. "Ultimately, it's our folks down there who are responsible."
10:22AM -- One of the clear themes emerging here is that President Obama believes that while in any operation of this nature there will be mistakes, he also believes that the government has the authority it needs to direct the response operation. He also is believes that while his administration is doing an effective job under the circumstances, there was a failure to properly plan for this sort of eventuality -- a failure that extends back many years, "a complacency" as he put it.
10:25AM -- Obama says oversight on deepwater drilling has been "problematic," citing both failures by MMS as well as laws passed by Congress that weaken oversight responsibilities. He emphasized the need to address these problems and to impose a moratorium on deepwater drilling during that review.