Alex Massie has written a thought-provoking post in response to my accusation that Obama’s opprobrium for BP is rooted in desperation and prejudice. Alex and I are agreed that Obama’s rhetoric is foaming because he is desperate politically. That’s no excuse – it is not stemming the disaster and action is required. Already, Republicans are jumping on Obama’s calculation that he can get away with blaming BP. For such a canny politician, it is a high-risk strategy.
It is, of course, coincidence that a British oil company is to blame – although legal action will reveal that a host of international subcontractors are equally liable, or that is what
BP’s lawyers will argue. Obama has declared legal war on BP with a criminal negligence investigation (as opposed to a commercial suit – surely a sign of how high the
stakes are?) and BP should respond in kind, if only to protect its 37,000 American employees and countless shareholders across the globe.
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