Quit smirking, Bobby Jindal (afp photo)
President Obama cannot get a break. He just wanted a few days with the family back home in Chicago, where they never get to go. But guess what? Top kill is a bust. Vacation=Ruined. From a White House statement emailed to reporters:
(Engineers) had hoped that the top kill approach attempted this week would halt the flow of oil and gas currently escaping from the seafloor. But while we initially received optimistic reports about the procedure, it is now clear that it has not worked.
So are we now at Plan D or E? We lost count after BP tried lowering an apartment building with the windows boarded up over the leak, after plugging it with old towels didn’t work. The Coast Guard has told them to cut the riser pipe and install a “containment structure.”
The president is sounding impatient:
This approach is not without risk and has never been attempted before at this depth. That is why it was not activated until other methods had been exhausted. It will be difficult and will take several days. It is also important to note that while we were hopeful that the top kill would succeed, we were also mindful that there was a significant chance it would not. And we will continue to pursue any and all responsible means of stopping this leak until the completion of the two relief wells currently being drilled.
John Dickerson at Slate has an excellent analysis of Obama’s BP condundrum, which comes down to being in charge without being in control.
