I knew the media pressure would get to him eventually. It was only a matter of time.
Yes, the President, nearly two months into one of the largest environmental disasters ever to strike the shores of our country, has finally put his foot down and invited the BP executives to the White House next Wednesday. (Probably has a big golf game or something preventing him from doing it sooner. Maybe Paul McCartney and Beyonce are returning to the White House. Or maybe there's a super soaker party in Biden's back yard he has to get to. His schedule of urgent presidential appointments is breathtaking.)
Obama has already said that he won't be there for the entire meeting.
Huh?
Is this going to be like the time he left the President of Israel waiting for him while he had dinner with his family and never returned?
I'm thinking both Obamas should consider a class or ten in proper protocol.
What I've concluded is that he'll just attend the ass whupping part he talked about on television so he can prove to America that Joe Cool really does care and is truly a leader among men. Then he'll no doubt head for the People's Plane and go on one of his daily campaign stops.
Just out of curiosity, who's paying for all of those fund raising and political speechifying trips he constantly takes? Surely the Democratic Party and not the taxpayers?
Oh, for heaven's sake, what am I worrying about? Everything he does is so transparent. It sure is refreshing, living in this era of complete disclosure. Maybe we can ask him when he holds his next press conference in a year and a half.
But I digress. It's hard not to with this guy, there's so much material to work with.
To top it off, he's invited the Chairman of the Board, but not the CEO, of BP. His spokesman explained that in the business world, it's really the Chairman who runs the company.
If you could see me now, I'm shaking my head.
Having lived with a CEO for many years of my life, even I can tell you that it is the CEO who runs the company, not the Chairman of the Board. The COB gets his information from the CEO, not the other way around.
I can also tell you without even making a phone call to BP that no one wants to plug that leak more than they do. They are losing a fortune every day it gushes uncontrollably in revenue, research to fix it, cleanup, payouts to damaged workers who have lost their livelihoods, and reputation.
So the point of this meeting is?
Political Theater.
Perfect for a man who delivered his nomination acceptance speech on a Hollywood set with plaster-of-Paris Greek pillars.
Everything that can be done is being done. The President isn't as powerful as people make him out to be. A good president needs to have a good team.
Heaven help us all.
No one will be the wiser when this meeting is over. It will solve nothing, but Obama gets to look like he's actually doing something for the five minutes or so of his time that he manages to spare the people of BP.
And, just a guess, I bet there will be lots of official presidential photos of Obama looking concerned and angry.
He's probably practicing in the mirror even as I write.
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