Democrats have all but accused George Bush of blowing up the BP oil rig currently spewing crude into the Gulf of Mexico. This is particularly true when it comes to blaming Bush for lax oversight at the Minerals Management Service (MMS) - the government agency responsible for safe drilling.
It would be a potent political criticism except for one thing; not a single MMS employee responsible for overseeing the BP drilling was appointed by President Bush:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., recently blamed Bush appointees who "burrowed in" at the Minerals Management Service for the regulatory failures that led to the Deepwater Horizon disaster. But as it turns out, not one of the officials responsible for overseeing the exploded rig was a Bush political appointee.The Washington Examiner has obtained biographic information on the MMS officials responsible for overseeing BP's Deepwater Horizon rig at the time it exploded, from the Gulf Region Director to the last inspector to set foot on the rig. Most of these federal employees started with the agency decades ago. Not one was a presidential appointment of George W. Bush, although one longtime MMS employee in question was promoted to his current position during the Bush Administration.
No doubt Pelosi and her crew will try another tack shortly. The bottom line; Blame Bush so that no blame is directed at Democrats.
Hat Tip: Ed Lasky
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