Finally someone knowledgeable makes or alludes to an important point: The governments concerned are not equipped to stop this spill. With Katrina, there was a history of FEMA expertise in dealing with hurricanes and natural disasters. With this spill, a mile below the Gulf’s surface, only BP, its contractors and sub-contractors have the capability. Perhaps there are other contractors the government could hire but if they did, those would lack the experience gained from the failures so far (and failure often yields useful knowledge). Perhaps they could consult or take over operations but realistically, the people who made the mess are the ones who are going to have to clean it up.
I tend to be a “big government” guy but this is a classic case of expecting the government to do things it is not competent do. And I doubt that we want a government that is omni-competent in dealing with all the “unpredictables” of public life.
