Frankly, if I hear the phrase “Obama’s Katrina” one more time to refer to the President’s response to the oil spill, I think I will scream.
It reminds of the annoying need that many feel to stick the word -gate on the end of any presidential scandal. I lament this really lazy habit of the media. We can understand each situation well enough to make our own judgments without constant and faulty comparisons to old scandals or problems.
This is not Obama’s Katrina, its Obama’s oil spill.
Now it should go without saying that I do not believe that government has this magical unlimited power to resolve crises if the president will just wills it so. Actually, I am glad I live in a country where this is still so. So I don’t blame the President or his men for not knowing how to cap a well at 5000ft under water.
A large problem is that many people who voted for Obama believe the president has this magical ability. A larger problem is that I believe that the President thinks he should have this magical ability.
Obama does not want to be a leader. I once read a quote that I paraphrase “A leader helps others to get more out of themselves than they otherwise would.”
I like that quote and I think it reveals a lot about why Obama is failing with the spill. Obama doesn’t want to lead, he wants to will.
As we are all now familiar when the spill was a few weeks old, Obama grew angry because his will had been frustrated and blurted while departing “Just plug the damn hole!”
Leaders don’t blurt and depart, leaders help.
I believe that Americans have grown dissatisfied with the presidential response to the oil spill for this reason. They were not quick to hold Obama responsible because they actually understand the limits of the president better than he does. But what they expected from the president is that he was doing what he could to help.
Help. That is what leaders do, they help.
Over time, dissatisfaction has grown because people recognize that Obama is not trying to help. They talk of taking over BP, which everyone knows will not help. And now Obama says he wants to find some ass to kick. Ass kicking is not helping, especially while the spill is still happening.
But the most damning piece of evidence that has emerged and the one thing that I believe can hurt Obama long-term was revealed this past week. Not once during this entire crisis did Obama pick up the phone to the BP CEO and say “How can I help?”
That, more than the spilling oil, represents Obama’s failure of leadership. His failure to want to help. This is what will be remembered as his failure. He willed, he cursed, he blurted, and wanted to kick ass. But he would not help.
June 10, 2010 at 3:58 pm
Obama couldn't do anything because his masters used up their three wishes:
1. Passing "Obamacare" (actually PP, Rockefe*ller, F*ord, Sor*ros, Buf*fet, and Gat*es-care)
2. Scrapping Mexico city policy
3. Allowing an openly gay military
gbm3
June 10, 2010 at 4:16 pm
He didn't even pick up the phone and defend the poor folks (whom he represents) whose livelihoods have been destroyed with crude oil. It's all about HIM. He said he didn't want to talk to BP because he didn't want to hear "blah, blah, blah." How about what he should have been saying, instead? He says "they, they, they" but never actually gets himself involved. No leadership there. Zero, zip, zilch.
June 10, 2010 at 4:21 pm
Wall Street Journal had a good article about Obama in yesterday's paper. The title was
"Alien in the White House". It pegged him very well.
June 10, 2010 at 4:34 pm
C'mon folks, the man was doing the things we all consider important. That would include working on martial harmony by taking the lovely Michelle to Chicago for a weekend. Don't we all think fostering deeper love with our spouse is a noble thing?
Now excuse me, the nice young man in the white coat has brought my meds.
June 10, 2010 at 5:44 pm
Well and truly said, everyone! Thank you!
June 10, 2010 at 5:45 pm
Leadership IS about getting people to do what needs doing – even when they would rather not do it. But it also means that you are RESPONSIBLE for them being CAPABLE of getting it done. The leader takes care of his "troops" and makes sure they have the equipment, supplies, training and so on that they need to get the job done.
Nobody who simply snaps "get it done" without ensuring that it's possible is a leader. They are a spoiled brat.
The President ought to learn a tad from the military he commands. Among the many common leadership themes:
1. "Always employ your unit in accordance with it's capabilities." (In other words, you don't send a bunch of Rangers out to ARREST Mohammaded Farrah Aideed. Kill him, yes; arrest him, no. Sorry. Still bitter.)
2. "Be tactically and technically proficient" If you are dealing with an oil spill, better learn all about it – real fast. YOU become the #1 expert in the world on oil spills before you start issuing orders.
3. "Lead by example" How in the heck do you expect people to follow you if you walk around with "your head up your '4th point of contact'"? They won't. Worse still. If you lead like an idiot, those following you are likely to emulate your idiocy.
Other gems forever embedded in the remaining folds of my gray matter:
"You can't MANAGE a team to effectiveness. You must LEAD it."
"Lead from the front – You can't push a snake"
And so on.
Obama's most appalling leadership failure is his bizarre attempt to go it alone without getting assistance from outside BP. I don't get this at all. Why hasn't he (STILL!) gotten together experts from other oil companies, other companies, all the best physicists at NASA and Oceanographers in NOAA. Heck, both Norway and Holland are offering us help that we need and he has REFUSED it? Why? PRIDE? What are we, the old USSR? "Just a minor radiation leak here… no need for help."
He has the power to grant a waiver on the Jones act of 1920 and get assistance from anyone and everyone who can help and he ought to do it NOW!
I guess this is what you get from someone with no executive or "real job" experience.
June 10, 2010 at 6:22 pm
He's responding like it's a PR issue, not a "things need to be done" issue.
Thus, the thing with "oh, I would've fired BP's president" and the TV spots and the lame "ooh, who's ass should I kick" thing.
(Situationally? Could have been cool. As it was? Comes across like me talking about "mad dread rhymes, Homes.")
It's like he's a middle aged man trying to sell himself to college kids! Wait….
June 10, 2010 at 6:26 pm
Your kidding!!! THIS ONE "IS" A NO BRAINER! No integrity, no substance and no moral compass!!! The presumption of his absolute authority that even trumps that, of the Holy Roman Catholic Church!!! ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE! From the beginning who has shown himself to be nothing but, an ambitious, immature, self promoting, peddler of power, prestige and self interest! This guy knows better then "ME"?, what is best for me? Truly, IGNORANT OF A LOT OF "IMPORTANT THINGS"!!! Still "AM" mighty upset about the Notre Dame thing! Telling the "Holy Catholic Church" we are in error! We were to "waive" the "inconvenient" dogma of abortion aside and engage in a more real and more serious "civil dialogue". Since when does the Holy Church, take directions and become beholding to the commander and thief? Did I miss something, there! Still shocked and outraged!!! and still praying. SALVE REGINA
June 10, 2010 at 7:11 pm
Can't you just totally picture GW picking up the phone and saying "How can I help?"
Me too.
June 10, 2010 at 10:38 pm
GW would have likely known who to call on to help. It would have been a crisis more in line with his skill set than the others things he dealt with.
The O is completely out of his element, and doesn't seem to care to get into it.
June 11, 2010 at 12:12 am
Jimbo;
Using your example of the using the Rangers for what they are not suited for, there could always be an "oops" problem where he is "accidentally" hurt real bad, saving the US taxpayer the cost of a trial.
June 11, 2010 at 8:13 pm
John F. Kennedy: Yes but that's not how our troops do things. They follow orders, do the right thing and have the "Law of Land Warfare" drummed into the heads from day one. They don't "accidentally" kill people. In fact right this minute, in Afghanistan, they are continuing to operate under incredible Rules of Engagement that severely restrict how they operate and use force. Many see these ROE's are putting their lives in more danger.
This devotion to duty is why, when that insane order WAS given by Bill Clinton, the Rangers (and Delta) followed it and tried to arrest Aideed, and why we ended up with what became the "Blackhawk Down" battle in Somalia.
Always better that the Commander know what he's doing, be "technically and tactically proficient" and "employ his units in accordance with their capabilities"
Meanwhile. Someone tell me this: Why in the heck can't we get a pipe or many pipes down ABOVE that leak, into the STREAM of the gusher, and start sucking into some tankers? So we get some water too. So what? Pump that out from the bottom and into another ship. This is NOT rocket science is it?
June 12, 2010 at 1:50 am
This is perhaps the most out of touch thing I've ever read. People are mad at Obama because he didn't call BP's CEO and ask "how can I help"? The Coast Guard is at BP's bidding, the military has stated they've given anything that can help to the effort. All that's left is a supposedly a Dutch offer to help with skimming that was passed up a few days after the explosion before anyone knew just how bad it was.
In the middle of this BP has behaved badly before, during and after the disaster. Before it recklessly cut safety short. During it held exhausted rescued rig workers in a hotel until they signed 'waivers' indicating they weren't hurt. After it has been downplaying the rate of oil gushing out (possibly because its fines will be based on the total amount of oil spilled?) and making it clear it will nickle and dime those economically harmed. Unfortunately we have few options but to work with them that nonetheless doesn't make them any less jerky and meriting a good helping of 'kickass'.
June 12, 2010 at 2:04 am
This is perhaps the most out of touch thing I've ever read.
Don't read much of your own writing, do you?
June 14, 2010 at 6:05 pm
Boonton:
You wrote: "People are mad at Obama because he didn't call BP's CEO and ask "how can I help"?"
Answer: Yes. And no. At least I am not "mad at Obama" that he didn't phone the CEO – himself. I am EXTREMELY disappointed, though, that he hasn't sat down in a room with the BEST MINDS available to solve this. Again, how many mechanical engineers do we have at NASA? I'd have ordered a virtual halt to the space program and gotten those folks working on this by now. Why hasn't he sat down in a room with the engineers at SHELL, EXXON MOBILE, etc. etc.? You really think we should be relying on BP for this? Your own view of BP seems to suggest that maybe we should not.
You are waaaay off to say that all we have is "supposedly a Dutch offer." (That Dutch offer STILL has not be taken up. But there have been HUNDREDS if not thousands of offers from all over the world and as near as Dallas, TX that have been refused or where permits have not been granted. I think you will see in the aftermath of this, how much that COULD have been done, was not done.
Most frustrating is how much CAN be done right now that is not. With respect, you are kidding yourself if you believe in the "there is nothing else that can be done" garbage. This is failure of leadership of epic proportions. Period.
June 14, 2010 at 6:11 pm
Short: we're mad because he's not acting like this is an actual crisis.