Once upon a time, not too long ago, a seemingly decent man was elected to "The Most Powerful Elected Office On Earth". After eight years of the planet putting up with "Mad King" George Bush everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "At last", we sighed, "some sanity and a return to good government for our friends across the pond".
How times have changed. In the U.K. we now realise that the President of the U.S.A. is simply an empty suit. Further, he is a bullying gobshite. Accusations of his anti-British bigotry have been around for some time, but over the last few weeks it has become manifest.
B.P. a multinational oil company, (aren't they all?), has found itself in the firing line for the environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Quite rightly too. But, Obama's line appears to be that it is all B.P.'s fault, conveniently forgetting the other players directly involved in this drama, Haliburton, Transocean and Cameron. Indeed B.P. are part of a consortium that is paying for the deep water drilling in the G0M. The other two companies are Anardarko (25%) and Mitsui Oil Exploration (10%). Obama has concentrated on the B. in B.P. B as in British. In spite of the fact that the corporation is now only 40% British owned. American investors own 38% of the company. The rest is owned by a diverse number of investors from around the world.
B.P. is the result of the merger of British Petroleum, Amoco, ARCO and Burmah-Castrol, and is essentially no more "British" than Obama!
Lets also state that many pension funds in the U.S.A. and the U.K. have investments in B.P. Threatening the Company so that their share price is depressed, and demanding that they cancel dividend payments is hardly designed to make many of these funds thank Obama.
Obama's ranting about "British" Petroleum, and suggesting ludicrous actions, such as replacing Tony Hayward as CEO, (which he can't do) and demanding that they cancel dividend payments has put many backs up over here, especially when it coincides with the ruling from India about the Bhopal disaster. Union Carbide more or less walked away from Bhopal when at least 3600 people died as a result of their negligence. In the 26 years since a further 25000 people are estimated to have died due to complications from inhaling the toxic fumes.
Not one peep out of Obama about full recompense to the Indians affected by this, not even one suggestion that the Company concerned or their successors (Dow) be held legally responsible or having the executives responsible extradited to India to stand trial for their deadly accident. Is this what we call hypocrisy?
So, what are we to make of Obama now? Is he still the shining star that many people hoped he was. Or is he just another shyster lawyer looking for a way to bolster his popularity in the hope that he will gather enough votes to be re-elected after his so far lack-lustre Presidency? Just another in a long line of morons that seem to be elected by repeating a campaign slogan often enough for it to catch on?
Then we have Congressman Weiner (Hah!!) opening his mouth and putting both legs, never mind feet in it.
A typical Chicago lawyer and a penis, just more empty suits full of accusations, bluster and rhetoric then.
