Welcome to the TGIF pre-weekend open thread-a-ganza. Post your thoughts, links and haikus below.
Dick Cheney said something I whole-heartedly agree with.
On Dennis Miller’s radio show today, Cheney suggested that his Leahy f-bomb was “the best thing” he had ever done:
MILLER: By the way, my, I also want to thank you, on the list of things I feel I should thank you for, almost kicking Patrick Leahy’s ass. Thank you very much.
CHENEY: Hehehehe.
MILLER: I love that move. One of my favorite stories. Muttering that.
CHENEY: You’d be surprised how many people liked that. That’s sort of the best thing I ever did.
I have to agree with that one. Cheney gave us the Iraq War, no-bid contacts for Halliburton, torture, outing CIA agents working on preventing the spread of nuclear weapons, shooting a man in the face, Liz Cheney and all-around dickishness. So I certainly agree that go f*&k yourself is Cheney’s biggest accomplishment.
I’m not sure why the giant oil rig explosion off the coast of Louisiana is not a bigger news story.
The oil rig that exploded, caught fire and then sank 36 hours later could lead to a major oil spill, officials said Thursday, and as a result a remotely operated vehicle is surveying the seas and assets ranging from aircraft to containment booms are ready to be deployed.
At a press conference, the officials also said hope was running out for 11 workers still missing after the blast Tuesday night off the coast of Louisiana. The Coast Guard said its search would probably continue into early Friday.
…
Officials had previously said the environmental damage appeared minimal, but new challenges have arisen now that the platform has sunk.
The well could be spilling up to 336,000 gallons of crude oil a day, the Coast Guard said, and the rig carried 700,000 gallons of diesel fuel.
Crude from the well had been burning off but when the rig sank earlier Thursday the fire was extinguished. What’s not clear is if the crude is still spewing below the surface.
This serves as a sobering lesson on why “drill baby drill” is not a solution to the energy crisis.