Adm. Allen On Oil Spill: ‘This Is A Siege Across The Entire Gulf’
Appearing on Face The Nation, Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said that the fight against the BP oil spill will last into the fall. “This will only end when we intercept the well bore, pump mud down it and put a cement plug in. It’s bottom kill rather than top kill. The spill will not be contained until that happens,” said Allen. “Even after that there will be oil out there for months to come. This will be well into the fall. This is a siege across the entire Gulf.”
Kerry: Israel Not A Burden, But Gaza A ‘Humanitarian Challenge’
Appearing on This Week, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) disagreed with a recent statement by the head of Israeli intelligence, who said that the country had turned into a burden and not an asset for the United States. “No, I don’t believe that. But there are obviously tensions with respect to certain policies. We’ve seen that,” said Kerry. “But let’s begin at the very beginning of a big picture here. Israel has every right in the world to make certain that weapons are not being smuggled in after the thousands of rockets that have been fired on it from Gaza. And Israel has every right in the world, as recognized by the international community — because it is not just Israel conducting this blockade; it is Israel and Egypt. So you begin that Israel has this right to protect itself. Now, that said, Gaza is a — is a humanitarian challenge, and Israel understands that, I think. And this has underscored it.”
Cornyn On Oil Spill: ‘No One Has Really Known Who’s In Charge’
Appearing on This Week, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) said of the oil spill: “Well, BP’s response has been lousy. They are the ones that started this problem, and unfortunately, Jake [Tapper], here we are 48 days into it, and I’m glad to hear Admiral Allen saying we’ve accumulated the human and physical assets we need to deal with this problem, but it sure has taken a long time. And I think a lot of the confusion has been because no one has really known who’s in charge. Is it the president of the United States? Is it the CEO of British Petroleum? Who is it? Is it Admiral Allen? So I think really, we need the president to step up and assert himself and to say, let’s cut through the red tape, let’s cut through the chain of command, and let’s get the assets where they need to be in order to protect the beaches and the people of that important region.”
Israeli Ambassador: Israel Will ‘Do Whatever It Takes’ To Defend Itself
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren said that the country is “open to any ideas to somehow deal with the Gaza situation,” but that dropping the blockade would likely not happen because of the risk of letting in thousands of rockets. Oren also said that if Iran were to send a military escort with any other ships, “Israel will also do whatever it takes to defend itself from Hamas terror.”
Oren: Israel Is ‘Not To Be Investigated By An International Board’
Also during his appearance on Fox News Sunday, Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren rejected the idea of an international investigation of the Gaza flotilla incident. “The notion of some international commission coming along and judging Israel’s right to defend itself, that’s not” going to happen, Oren said. “Israel is a democracy. Israel has the ability and the right to investigate itself … not to be investigated by an international board.”
Liz Cheney: It Was A Mistake To Push For 2006 Palestinian Elections
Appearing on This Week, former State Department official Liz Cheney said that it was a mistake for the Bush Administration, in which she served, to push for the 2006 Palestinian elections that were won by Hamas. “I don’t think they were ready for it. I don’t think we should have pushed it,” said Cheney, a daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney. also said about Hamas: “no matter how they came into power, they are a terrorist organization.”
Crist Denies Knowledge Of Alleged Greer Scheme: ‘Desperate People Say Desperate Things’
Appearing on State of the Union, Gov. Charlie Crist (I-FL) denied any prior knowledge of former state Republican Party chairman Jim Greer’s alleged financial fraud scheme, after Greer’s attorney asserted that Crist knew about it. “You know sometimes desperate people say desperate things and it’s very sad,” said Crist, who left the Republican Party in late April. Crist also said that the criminal case against Greer was “an unfortunate situation. It’s very disappointing and sometimes people disappoint you. And that’s what’s happened here.”
Barbour: ‘We Have Had No Virtually No Oil’ In Mississippi
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Gov. Haley Barbour (R-MS) complained about how press coverage of the oil spill has affect his state. “The truth is we have had virtually no oil,” said Barbour. He also also added: “The worst thing for us has been how the tourism season has been hurt. The coast is clear; come on down.”
Eric Kleefeld
Eric Kleefeld joined TPM as an intern for the final months of the 2006 midterm elections, and then kept showing up for work. His other interests include guitars, old comic books and the politics of various English-speaking countries.
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