Barack Obama in Leadership and Crisis, by Gov. Bobby Jindal

On Energy & Oil: De-facto moratorium on shallow as well as deepwater drilling

Along with the official moratorium on deep-water drilling, the Obama administration had a de facto moratorium on shallow-water drilling. Before the BP spill, federal authorities regularly issued permits to drill in shallow water. After the spill, the issued permits reduced to a trickle. Most of these shallow-water operators were not a part of "big oil"---they were small, independent producers. Their operations in, say, 200 feet of water had nothing to do with what happened at Deepwater Horizons. Source: Leadership and Crisis, by Bobby Jindal, p. 20 Nov 15, 2010

On Environment: Promised that anyone losing job in spill would get BP check

I told the president that the oil moratorium amounted to a second man-made disaster. And my message was simple: Louisianans shouldn't lose their jobs because the federal government can't do its job. Our belief is that federal officials should spend their energies on getting serious about more rigorous oversight and inspection of oil rigs rather than punishing workers. Louisianans, of all people, don't want to see another drop of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico or another tragic loss of life.

The president went on to assure me that anyone who lost their job would get a check from BP. When I explained that BP might not write them checks because it was the federal government that imposed the moratorium, the president said, "Well, if BP won't pay them, they can file for unemployment." I was amazed by the level of disconnect. The people of Louisiana want to work, not collect unemployment or BP checks.

Source: Leadership and Crisis, by Bobby Jindal, p. 21-22 Nov 15, 2010

On Foreign Policy: OpEd: Claims "poverty causes terrorism" but they're educated

Most suicide bombers are well-educated and have a generally higher socio-economic status. Nevertheless, the Obama administration continues to cling to the "poverty causes terrorism" theory because it supports the social work approach to national security that it favors.

If the Obama administration were to admit that Islamic terrorists are not motivated by poverty but rather by an evil ideology, that would require a paradigm shift in the way it approaches terrorism. They'd have to admit the existence of evil, name the enemy, and acknowledge that military power rather than more anti-poverty programs must be the central means to fight and win.

Our president has made a bad habit of apologizing to foreign audiences for America's supposed transgressions. This groveling needs to end--now. The American president must proudly represent the world's greatest democracy to the world. It is naive to think these apologies gain us respect--they simply convey a dangerous lack of confidence.

Source: Leadership and Crisis, by Bobby Jindal, p.257-258 Nov 15, 2010

The above quotations are from Leadership and Crisis, by Bobby Jindal. Click here for other excerpts from Leadership and Crisis, by Bobby Jindal. Click here for other excerpts by Barack Obama. Click here for other excerpts by other Governors.
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Page last updated: Feb 06, 2014