I haven’t posted anything to this point about the horrendous BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico because I don’t know enough about oil drilling by nature, who did what when they shouldn’t have, and how do you expect to easily handle something when that something turns into a catastrophic event. I’ll only say this: 1) I prefer my drilling on the land, not the sea, thank you; 2) I don’t like this “us vs. them” reaction from the Obama White House, 3) Most – if not all – politicians are dumb; and 4) When all is said and done, this story will have a fundamental impact on the way people view Washington and the Obama administration, and will have a major impact this fall’s elections.

Regarding #1: Environmentalists have to assume some of the blame for what’s going on right now because they have forced oil companies to drill deeper, and in more riskier ways, and increasingly in the oceans. Think about it: while this spill is threatening Louisiana’s fragile coastline and economic stability, big ol’ ANWR is sitting up there thousands of miles away in the middle of nowhere just twiddlin’ it’s crude potential thumbs. I cannot believe drilling in ANWR would be anywhere near as risky as deep-water drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

And the same holds true for nuclear power. But don’t get me started on that.

Regarding #2: I have to admit that the Obama administration lives down to my expectations every opportunity they get. It’s been, what, nearly three months, and most of what we’ve heard from the White House is that it’s BP’s problem. Well I got news for the White House, it isn’t just BP’s problem. It’s Louisiana’s, Alabama’s, Florida’s, and the problem of Americans who don’t live there, but make their living, either directly or indirectly in the oil industry, tourism industry – heck, practically any industry affected by energy. The American economy is fragile enough without this being lumped on top of it. I find the Obama administration’s attitude insulting, incredibly short-sighted, and perhaps even criminally negligent. Mark my words, there will be people in this administration forfeiting their jobs by the time all is said and done.

Regarding #3. You’re Barack Obama. Your presidency follows George W. Bush’s – you know, that presidency that criminally mishandled the Katrina flooding. In, like, Louisiana. And now you have on your watch a devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that threatens the ecological and economic well-being of, yup, Louisiana, and what do you do? Take a hands-off approach? What on God’s green earth are you thinking? Are you that clueless?

Look, I’m no political genius, but if I’m a Democrat president following a Republican president who was castigated each and every way for his administration’s incompetence involving a natural disaster in th Gulf region, I’m going to go out of my way at the first sign of any potential disaster to show the contrast in competence and efficiency between my administration and his. Because of his own administration’s stupidity, arrogance, or ineptness, the Gulf oil spill is destined to go down as Obama’s Katrina. The time for decisive action and credibility was more than two month’s ago, and he chose poorly to punt it as a legal problem, not an ecological disaster. What an idiot.

Regarding #4. I have to ask the question. What does Washington presently do well? It’s not a rhetorical question. The American people ought to expect that, at its most basic, fundamental state, the government should be watching out for the welfare of the American people. Whether it’s protecting our borders, fighting our wars, or regulating our industries while still leaving room for free-market approaches that stimulate economic growth, the federal government should be looking out for the welfare of this nation. And in this case, yet again, the government has mishandled yet another crisis.

Does anyone doubt that, in the end, this devastating oil spill could have been prevented by simply enforcing the laws already on the books? Or that there were shortcuts and needless risks taken? Or that money changed hands and eyes looked the other way in return for political and financial payoffs? I’m not going to make the conspiratorial leap that, because BP has/had been a heavy contributor to Democrats and the Obama campaign, the oil spill is a result of some kind of political graft or corruption. But I will say that the overwhelming evidence was that the BP oil spill was a disaster that could have been prevented, had warning signs been followed and rules and laws already on the books adhered to.