So, Barry plans to "...extend a moratorium on new deepwater drilling for six months...."

Hmmmm, let's see. In six months it will be (wait for it, wait for it) November. Surprise!!! Perfect timing for Barry to extract some bribes from the likes of BP to finance his campaign for another four years of wheedling cowardice and subservience to his corporate paymasters.

I wonder how many exemptions and special deals will be made for *some* offshore drilling during this new six month moratorium?

Obomber overturned the injunction against this Rig won by an Environmental Organization because of lack of Evironmental Study, Salazar's policy.

Just on NPR, Rig worker testified BP boss demanded cutting corners the day before explosion, which directly led to explosion.

There should be a $25 million dollar a day fine for leaking wells.

Is this the same moritorium as last week where the NYT reported Salazar kept issuing permits?

He didn't says he is canceling drilling, he's only delaying it until after the election. Back in the 1930's, previous Chicago gangsters used to call this strategy "laying low til the heat's off."

"as we transition to cleaner energy sources,"

wow, cleaner than poisoning the planet's water systems is such a high standard

From today's New York Times:

How sweeping the president’s new orders will be remains to be seen. After he ordered his initial moratorium on permits for drilling new offshore oil wells and a halt to a type of environmental waiver that was given to the Deepwater Horizon rig, at least seven new permits for various types of drilling and five environmental waivers were granted, according to records. Since the April 20 explosion, the records show, federal regulators granted at least 19 environmental waivers for Gulf drilling projects and at least 17 drilling permits. The administration has said that the moratorium was meant only to halt permits for the drilling of new wells, not to stop permits for new work on existing drilling projects like the Deepwater Horizon.

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/28/us/28drill.html?hp

The headline above, "Obama to Extend Ban on Offshore Oil Drilling," is extremely misleading, IMHO.

Oh, God.
He's forming yet another commission?
Extending the moratorium they've got loaded with exemptions?

He's already as painful to watch as Bush.

Obama and his "made men" are so unaware; so out of their league it's breathtaking.

How is anyone surprised at this shill, Obama?

Before the election, we saw him break his promises, specifically on voting for FISA not against it. He pledged to up the number of troops in Afgan and Pakistan. He said he would increase the number of military troops. He took single payer off the table before the election.

This guy is surprising only in that he is more like Bush than Bush.

-"President Barack Obama will Thursday extend a moratorium on new deepwater drilling for six months,..."

Wow, brilliant leader you have there. After every major oil spill, he pauses dangerous drilling for six months. Or at least claims he will. As previous posters have noted, public statemenets by Obama don't necessarily fit with his actions.

He didn't even enforce the laws on the books. There was no enviromental enforcement. Before the leak he said it was safe and after, he kept on issuing permits. BP ran its own safety precautions, or lack of them. BP is running the cleanup, or lack of one. And BP is always a generous donor to the Democrat campaigns.

Obama has certainly given oil companies access to vulnerable offshore areas that Bush never did, but apart from that, does anyone here not yet regret their vote for one of the two official parties?

The good news within this story is that public opinion has turned against offshore drilling to the extent that the Pres has had to change appearances, at which he is a master. It is too bad the Gulf of Mexico had to become a martyr to the cause of clean energy.

The reason for the moratorium, more specificall is that many incumbents rightly fear the wrath of the voters. All of them, incumbents and challengers, may be on the take from banks, insurance and oil. So while it usually makes little difference to us who wins, it makes a lot of difference to the specific careerist defending his or her turf. That is a little bit of leverage.

The only thing that is "transparent" about this moratorium is the timing which strings us out to the elections. Any candidate who wants any support whatsoever should be required to make specific written pledges about creating green jobs and ending dependence on coal and oil, domestic or foreign. It is an opportunity for progressive independents.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7iXcKKpdx0

Joe

I guess what it's obvious---well, ya know...It was obvious prior to the oil spill that this would occur....

You can't screw with Mother Nature, and this goes for, yes, oil companies and greedy money-looting jerks who have just looted the great oceans of the earth. So, you have just witnessed mankind trying to screw with Mother Nature and you have seen was has happened yet again. Going at this rate, humanity will not need a nuclear war to end the world but rather it will happen by similar disasters. Ken Salazar is nobody to place your trust or faith in this matter either. Salazar is in the pay of big oil too!!! So, I say to all of you: Stop this insanity before more disasters happen, and, they will with similar, continued, activity. Oil spills when oil drilling ARE ALWAYS ACCIDENTS WAITING TO HAPPEN!!!! It is too bad, but, true folks, and I just hope that such disasters and tragedies, don't keep happening in the future.

Any comment on Obama you may ask? Well, his inaction speaks volumes. Obama's lack of taking this matter by the tail, by showing he is in charge and command speaks for itself.

Are you mad or angry yet? I hope so. The human race cannot exist without its cceans.

The point of these "actions" (extending the "ban") is never to solve the problem. The point is to manage the political crisis that is caused by the problem.

The most generous thing you can say about Obama is that he is clueless; a boy in short pants, "President Urkel", led around willingly by a bunch of hard-boiled operators like Lawrence Summers and David Axelrod. He knew how to campaign but he has no idea how to be President. He is not unlike Bush in this regard. So, as in the Cheney-Bush Regime, there is no government, no governing, no solutions, no change and no "hope". Instead, we have the brand "Hope, Inc. TM".

Of course we could say far less generous things, as other commenters have.

Keep the pressure on. Obama will not respond to anything except strong, unrelenting pressure and then only when his handlers tell him he has to, in order to "manage the crisis". And keep your eye on the prize - the proposed "solution", will sound good at first, but will enrich Wall St and Houston, while limiting their liabilities and passing the costs to us. We're on our own here, folks. There's no help coming from the federal government. They'll only do what we make them do.

Another "presidential commission", oh my. Does anyone doubt that the results of this commission will be to recommend resumption of drilling with "better safeguards and regulation"? We will be told that "the experts" "know" the best things to be done and we should heed their recommendations. Unless, of course, as occasionally happens, the "experts" mistakenly come out with a report that the industry doesn't like, in which case the report will be delayed or buried or revised under pressure.

Obama's response to everything, it seems, whether it be DADT, Social Security or you name it, is a "Pres. Com." Reminds me of that candy bar commercial (Twixt, is it?) where the guy buys time to think up a good BS line by stuffing a candy bar in his mouth; Obama buys time by stuffing another commission up our other end. Maybe somebody could do a good U-Tube spoof on this .....

Of course he is counting on the American public to have the attention span of a gnat, which, unfortunately, has been evidenced far too often, e.g. our wars overseas, and be on to something else in 6 months, at which time, even if the oil is still leaking, the Gulf and BP will be "old news" and he and Congr. can do whatever they damn well please, especially after the elections. Even our "progressive media" seem to have a tendency to "move on", as they say.

He tipped his hand early on this one when he didn't IMMEDIATELY insist on BP PLUGGING the well but allowed them to dither around with mechanisms for controlling it so it could continue to be used. Does one really think Reps, for all their bluster, could do worse? Wait 'til you see what his "commission" on SS "reform" comes out with ....

Please watch this short video about bioremediation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VfypUzx1tI

Then get on the phone and start telling congresspeople about it.

At the very least we should have the safe guards, like the proper equipment and procedures to handle any situation verified and in place. Read what Prof. Rick Steiner, who is the expert on these matters, has to say about the situation. The Chukchi and Beaufort Seas are next to have exploratory drilling, by another foreign company, Shell, in the Arctic...I have yet to be convinced that this is in any way safe, considering ice flows and such, hundreds of miles from anything, and is going to happen in hugely prolific waters for sealife, fisheries, mammals and so forth. Short cutting operations for enhancing the bottom line, instead of protecting the earth with every safety net possible, must be stopped. It's this GREED that's going to kill us all.

Will Obama also legislate the movement of the tectonic plates? That surely must be next on his list.
Three different tectonic plates come together in the Caribbean region. Then there is that big'un, along Alaska, known as the 'Ring of Fire'. Shake, Rattle & Roll.

As Joker-Jack stated above, "You can't screw with Mother Nature."
When it comes to earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis, you ain't seen nuthin' yet. These deep-water drilling sites will burst forth like spoiled canned goods.

Mother Nature doesn't give a damn about politics OR the economy.
Can't say I blame her.

Now if he would outline a clear plan to revamp our infrastructure to reduce oil dependence by 80% in the next five years (without nuclear or fantasy tech-miracles), I would say we are going in the right direction.

This means using less and letting go of the absurd notion that we could replace more than a fraction of the oil we use with some other more sustainable source.

"Obama to Extend Ban on Offshore Oil Drilling"

Check & Verify, Check & Verify !!! Isn’t that what Reagan said about the nuclear arms treaty. We need to apply the same standard to the manchurian candidate.

Schizy Obama, god hlep us, blows with momentary political winds like a Zellig-built weather vane.
In March, he cockily blew for an increase in offshore drilling, no doubt because prevailing political winds then looked safe for his balming of Big Oil donors.

But now that in BP-disastered May there's a strong anti-corporate popular gale suddenly blowing against his earlier position, Obama tries to blow accordingly opposite -- with the same pseudo-cool swagger.

Sometimes I wonder what Obama's presumably more honest wife and kids must think about (and maybe say to?) their Zellig-like husband/daddy/president.
Shasha and Malia: Daddy, why don't you just do what's right?
Michelle: Baby, you might be good around the house and in bed, but you're really blowin' it as The Prez.