The Oklahoman: Expand Offshore Drilling, Mr. President, But Express More Anger

by: DocHoc

Sun Jun 13, 2010 at 15:03:47 PM CDT

The Oklahoman editorial page has argued recently this country needs more, not less, offshore drilling even given the BP oil spill in the Gulf.

But now, in an obvious contradiction, the newspaper is criticizing President Barack Obama for not having enough "righteous anger" over the crisis.

In an unsigned Sunday editorial, "Obama's cool detachment is hurting him as a leader" (June 13, 2010), the newspaper discusses a Wall Street Journal article that describes the president as an "alien" because apparently he's not yelling and screaming loudly enough about the Gulf disaster.

But President Obama seems lacking in the ability to project something - call it a righteous anger - on behalf of the nation he leads.

But if the leak is apparently not that bad and if we need more offshore drilling why would Obama even need to express anger? The Oklahoman, as usual, directly contradicts itself to fit its narrow-minded, anti-Obama agenda. As the propaganda ministry for the local GOP, it discards logic and historical fact to make bogus claims.

In a June 8 editorial the newspaper argued:

In the wake of the Gulf oil spill, some members of Congress would like to shut down all offshore drilling. Instead, such drilling needs to be expanded.

So, again, if the BP spill isn't a wake-up call about offshore drilling, why should Obama express anger about it? What's he supposed to do? Go into a televised rage and then immediately expand offshore drilling because, well, these oil spills just happen and we can trust oil companies to make the right decisions.

Obama's steady demeanor is not some inherent tragic flaw. That's sheer political calculation and nauseating clichéd political punditry. The Oklahoman editorial writers, unabashed supporters of the GOP "drill, baby, drill" philosophy, deregulation and tax breaks for energy companies are part of the reason, not the solution, when it comes to the Gulf environmental disaster. They're the type of people who deserve Obama's and everyone's "righteous anger" for putting the profits of oil companies above taking care of the planet.