By Barry Secrest

The Irrepressible Obama was at it again this week, this time pointing the finger of culpability at BP Chief Tony Hayward due to Hayward's heartfelt yet pitifully inadequate statement of "wanting his life back" since the Gulf Disaster has now tragically taken it away.  Most in America can commiserate with Hayward's sullenness as we all now  harbor a  wistful desire to "have our lives back" as well--as we continue to navigate through the economically treacherous waters of "Obamanomics."

However, the President did not stop at blaming Hayward for various BP inadequacies and off-kilter statements, Obama went on to state that Hayward "wouldn't be working for him after any of those statements." And yet again most Americans can  commiserate with the President's feelings in that we expect to be disallowing Obama himself from his current responsibilities come election time, due directly to his woeful inadequacies as "Leader of the Free World" and by his continually off-kilter statements if not actions or inaction.

When Hayward stated that the "Gulf is a big ocean" and then added that "the environmental impact of the disaster is likely to be very,very modest," many Americans might have been reminded of the Obamacare plan.  You know, the plan that was necessary in order to control spiraling medical costs--which we have now learned will increase our overall current costs by a minimum of $1.2 Trillion in additional outlays while reducing medical outlays for our Seniors.  In fact, we are still learning of the various  tumultuous and ultimately tragic facets of the plan.

When Answers Become Tarballs

The injurious  results of Obamacare, much like the dreaded oil plumes of the Gulf, have already stymied American business and caused doctors to begin to eventually opt out of traditional practice or actually turn patients away--this in addition to a known future deficit of physicians available to administer the requirements of the plan among many, many other issues too numerous to count.  The damaging effects of the healthcare law seem to keep washing up into our collective consciousness much like the dreaded tarballs which continually drift onto the shores of Gulf beaches.  So yes, we Americans understand perfectly how Obama feels about Hayward's disingenuous remarks and the harmful side-effects of "his" work.

Americans were then even more stunned to learn that the President has yet to even talk to the Chief of BP.  We are, in fact,  in the midst of an ecological disaster the likes of which  America has never seen and the President is too indifferent to even talk to the man ostensibly in charge of the repair and clean-up?  Based upon our dubious experience thus far, one must then wonder that if Tony Hayward had been a Muslim eco-terrorist intent upon inflicting severe damage to the Gulf, would the President have then "extended his hand in friendship and understanding" rather than brandishing a "clinched fist in defiance"?  The President actually explained his reasons for not speaking to Hayward as follows:  "Because when you talk to a guy like a BP CEO he's gonna say all the right things to me.  I'm not interested in words, I'm interested in actions."

But alas, once again, the American people can totally empathize with  Obama's feelings due simply to the fact that what the President stated all through his campaign, as opposed to his later actions as President, bear no true resemblance to one another.  Perhaps the President sees far too much of himself in Tony Hayward thereby setting off an automatic response of reactive repugnance to the man--who knows?  The President then, seemingly playing to a crowd of journalists and detractors who criticized the President for a lack of passion, showed us all the "true" extent of his fiery demeanor by stating that his reasons for "standing in the rain" and "talking to those folks" in the Gulf was so that he would know "whose ass to kick."

El Magnifico Goes Postal on Gluteous-Maximus

Here, we Americans must then empathetically part ways with the President in our "mutual feelings of disregard" in that when it comes to understanding the breadth and depth and the causes of the American economic disaster as opposed to the Gulf Disaster we know precisely whose ass should be kicked.  But the President, in a fit of poetic justice,  has certainly taken a butt-thumping in the polls as a result of his essential non-action with regard to the Gulf Spill.  While the President urgently stated to the American people that "we will not rest until the problems of the Gulf spill are solved," he proceeded to fittingly flit from one party or White House occasion to another, or trundle off on a vacation, or perhaps even take in a rousing White House performance by oafish pop star Paul McCartney.  No rest for the weary indeed-- for the "Partier in Chief" it would seem.

While many journalists and otherwise have come to the defense of the President, many of these same Presidential apologists were the first to cast aspersions of blame on George W. Bush due to the Katrina disaster.  Interestingly, some Conservatives are offering up a defense for Obama while many Liberals seem quick to leap to the attack  due to the President's gratuitous lack of action--so who is right?  Here at Conservative Refocus--when in doubt--go to the facts.

On Day 1 - When the rig exploded, the President departed a fundraiser in LA for Barbara Boxer and headed back to Washington.

On Day 2- Obama attended a reception for the G-20 finance ministers, along with attending a meeting to discuss the Supreme court vacancy.

On days 3 through 6-The President, ironically, hosted a reception for Earth day,visited NYC to promote the finance bill and then flew off to Asheville on a golfing vacation.

On Days 7 through 10- the President hosted the NY Yankees at the White House, flew to Iowa and Missouri ,and then attended a swank DNC fundraiser in DC.

On Days 11 and 12- the President flew to Maryland and then joined Jay Leno at a White House charity Dinner.

Day 13- The President finally finds his way to Louisiana.

Days 14 through 24 - was more of all the above--except for day 13.

Day 25- The President finally delivers a speech on the oil spill.

Crafting a Scarecrow Defense

While we understand that the President's duties continue--despite the various calamities which might emerge during the course of a Presidential term--we do take issue with the President's statement of having been centered on the problems in the Gulf from day one.  We have also heard from scores of Congressmen, Senators and Governors regarding the seeming lack of Federal action.  When criticized as to these facts, the President has actually defended his nearly paralyzed response by stating that the very ones who bluster and continually gripe for a smaller Government are the same ones who now demand help from the embattled Government.

Obama, in this case, seems to be unwittingly making the Conservative's case, in spite of himself, in erecting a Straw Man to diffuse the criticism.  No one can gainsay the fact that the Government has grown large and bloated within the last 18 months, and yet we can now see that  its ability to respond when finally and urgently needed has been compromised, most likely due to its size and its multiple layers of redundant bureaucracy.  The new Obama Department of Defense now seems to specialize mainly in defending against criticism against the Government rather than countering foreign military threats.

When the President came into his office he actually indicated that Ocean levels would fall, Pollution would become a thing of the past, even bi-partisanship wrangling was over.  Obama seemed intent upon making everyone think that, in essence, the problems of the past would become a thing of the past.  Poverty would be beaten back, the terrorists would soon like us after they understood what the New Kid was all about, and the US would blossom into a Liberal Utopia and be respected and loved by all.  The message soon became:  Government was the answer to all problems and Obama was the answer to Government's problems.  The truth, however it would seem, has now set the hope and changers free forever.

The Expansive Gulf of America

The President has been unable to quell an economy in turmoil while fatalistically running up a monster deficit, the Stimulus was but an impotent, deficit-busting Liberal dream finally realized, and the American people along with the party of opposition have been all but shut out as to the determination of direction of a Country now under the leering gaze of the Authoritarian Progressives.   But in the Gulf Spill we had a problem that seemed to flow right into the Messiah's premise of expertise, a monumental, defining instance where he the "Messiah" could showcase his amazing abilities.  Unfortunately, after repeated problems in trying to staunch the flow of "black gold," it would seem that, despite the fact that oil is thicker than water, neither of these elements proves a sturdy  enough footing  for El Magnifico to perform his amazing walk.

So, the official who could seemingly solve any problem was unable  to solve even this most simple of problems--that being healing the seeping gash at the Gulf's bottom.  Those who were formerly amazed at his soaring oratory also seemed to think that he had an equally miraculous problem solving ability.  Those individuals are now terribly dejected and disappointed--and fittingly so.  The Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico is but a microcosm of the Monstrous "Gulf of America" that exists between the People and their governance.  This hyper-magnified American Gulf disaster represents a schism between realistic economic policy and a stunted Progressive version that relies heavily upon debt, taxation and more Government while stunting Liberty.  There is also a huge Gulf between Governance and the People in upholding the tenets of the Constitution rather than those in power's current creative attempts at navigating around the People's rights in addition to forbearance.

The one who promoted Government as being able to solve everything, under the proper tutelage, has proven himself amazingly ineffective at solving anything at all.  While the Commander in Chief  who came before Obama was unable to effectively quell the tide of a monster storm, the wunder-kind who is now the President was unable even to quell an unnatural oily leak at the Ocean's bottom.  Thus the reason for our now having a very frustrated President who resorts to trash-talking the protagonist leader of those whom are culpable, debased to the ass kicking language which will avail no one--not even those who should be impressed and are most likely disappointed at the seeming dissonance in character.

Trading Leadership for Blood Lust

Historically, it is not a President's job to kick the collective asses of those who are the purveyors of a dire accident--be they culpable or not.  It is a President's job to lead in the best and most proper direction out of the problems that regularly embroil a Nation.  While the responsible party, in this case,  obviously had protracted lapses in due diligence--they, nonetheless, did not plan or mean for this accident to happen.  The Administration  seems abnormally hasty if not blood-lustful in pointing the finger of blame while threatening punishment, even while the responsible party works feverishly to correct the problem that they unwittingly helped to create.

The true, immediate victims of this disaster--being those people who live and work in and around the Gulf--now earnestly implore those whom are in power to either lead and help to mitigate the damage or to simply get out of the way.  They implore that those in power not add insult to injury by halting the remaining industries that will help to ameliorate the already heavy economic damages.  They ask that their Government now do what it was designed and empowered to do rather than to send down legions of Bureaucrats intent only upon affixing blame and fear.

What could have been Government's finest hour has retrograded into an age-old question, that being "what's the point?"

Barry Secrest