Reply #11: I would ask yourself what Bush should have done when Katrina hit.

[noamnety]

Yes, one was man made, the other was corporate negligence. But your logic doesn't fly when you say "the government didn't cause this situation, therefore they shouldn't have to do anything." Bush didn't cause the hurricane either.

However, in any disaster this size, it's not enough to shrug and say "not my problem, I didn't cause it." The government needs to step in (beyond sending officials to don working man outfits and pay a visit, I mean) because regardless of the cause, it is a national disaster.

In both cases it appears a legacy of a lack of appropriate government oversight and regulation was a huge contributing factor to the extent of the damage. In both cases, neither president took action to correct that legacy prior to the disaster. Obama unfortunately took ownership of this when he decided to once again play chess by supporting the republican/corporate position and supporting offshore drilling, despite a chorus of opposing voices warning of the consequences.