That Oil Spill Thing? No Worries! The Gulf Will be A-Okay!

WTH?  I know there has been caution urged against excessive hand wringing over the damage to the Gulf coast but this remark by Obama yesterday goes a little far:

"And in the end, I am confident that we're going to be able to leave the Gulf Coast in better shape than it was before."

 One minute the oil spill is kind of like 9/11, and now it's kind of a good thing?  Better than before?  Really?  What does that even mean?

What is he going to do to make the coast better than before?  What is his plan to repopulate the estuaries and marshes?  What is he going to do, exactly, to get rid of the oil coming in daily?  I'm guessing in his mind that means no more drilling and no more dependence on oil.  What is he going to do to re-establish a way a life that, for many, is gone?  How is he going to bring back those rigs that have pulled up and moved to foreign waters while his administration has dithered in what even the New York Times calls a chaotic mess?

I have news for him.  Louisiana is a long way from being "in better shape than it was before" since his moratorium is putting more people out of work by the day, the oil keeps spewing, and nobody seems to know what to do. 

 Rhetorical skills, speeches, and photo ops will not save the day.  Neither will empty promises.

(Photo credit:  Getty images)