I'm gonna have to stick up for Sarah Palin here

I really can't believe I'm doing this, but I'm writing a post that is (kinda) supportive of Sarah Palin.

Bill O'Reilly had the former half term governor on his show last night following President Obama's address on the Gulf oil spill.  A number of folks are writing about Palin's assertion the Obama Administration should be more ready to accept foreign assistance.  Sparing you most of the blabbering, incomprehensible Palinese, go to the 5:00 mark to reach the excerpt:

Now, I agree that Palin recalling the Dutch boy's finger in the dike fairy tale and calling that evidence the Dutch know how to fix mile deep oil leaks is wildly funny.  She's also incorrect that the Dutch and Norwegians hadn't received a call back, but she is correct that the Obama Administration refused the initial Dutch and Norwegian offers to help.

The Obama administration declined the Dutch offer partly because of the Jones Act, which restricts foreign ships from certain activities in U.S. waters. During the Hurricane Katrina crisis five years ago, the Bush administration waived the Jones Act in order to facilitate some foreign assistance, but such a waiver was not given in this case.

The Dutch also offered assistance with building sand berms (barriers) along the coast of Louisiana to protect sensitive marshlands, but that offer was also rejected, even though Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal had been requesting such protective barriers.

I know some have excused the Obama Administration's handling of the spill because their hands are tied by the Jones Act and provisions of the 1990 Oil Pollution Act passed after the Exxon Valdez accident that requires the offending oil company to clean up its own mess.

I believe in playing by the book but, in this case, it seems like there was absolutely no downside to allowing foreign help.  All the help we could get.  Clearly.

Comments

[Mauigirl]

Thanks for posting this, it is too bad the administration has not taken any help we can get with this mess. The Dutch in particular are indeed very experienced at building barricades to keep out oceans.