57 days after oil spill began, President Obama, along with his most trusted advisor, Ted Teleprompter,  will address the nation tonight about the horrible situation in the Gulf. We’ve read that much of the speech will have absolutely nothing to do with fixing the leak. Right now, people across the country are unanimous in their desire for the leak to be plugged and the mess to be cleaned up, period. Diverting attention and resources to other ideological or reactionary pursuits is not the answer right now.
Amidst the predictable post-speech punditry and analysis, the only question that really matters is whether people in the Gulf region wake up tomorrow more confident that the President will fix the leak and clean up the spill.
Here’s what we thought you should know …
Still Not Fixed:  New Estimate Puts The Oil Leak At 35,000 To 60,000 Barrels A Day. Today, based on updated information and scientific assessments, the new rate is estimated is between 35,000 and 60,000 barrels per day.  The new flow rate was announced by Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, and Chair of the National Incident Command’s Flow Rate Technical Group Dr. Marcia McNutt   The team assures the public that “BP was required to develop projects containment capacity expanding to 40,000-53,000 barrels per day by the end of June and 60,000-80,000 barrels per day by mid-July.” White House officials have voiced confidence in the ability to contain those flow rates on that timetable.  ABC News
Whip Cantor On The Oil Spill: The Focus Needs To Be On Stopping The Leak and Containing The Spill, Nothing Else. People have watched as oil continues to spill into the Gulf and wonder why this crisis has not been fixed. They’ve been frustrated but patient, and they deserve accountability. Simply put, the American people want all of our resources, time and focus to be directed toward stopping the spill and cleaning up the mess. Period. … They see press conferences, interviews and rhetoric with no follow-through. The American people have been disappointed that in the two months since this catastrophe, too often finger pointing has been the substitute for leadership. Everyone knows who is responsible, but now is the time for solutions.  The Hill

Rep. Steve Scalise: Democrats Need To Stop Pushing Their Agenda, and Start Focusing On Capping The Spill.  “This job killing ban on drilling is causing more problems right now than the oil [spill] long term because it’s threatening over 40,000 jobs,” said Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.). “It’s starting to already have reverberating, crippling effects to our economy and it doesn’t do anything to cap the well and to actually address the problems of the oil coming onto our shore.”  Scalise, who visited Grand Isle, La. last week, said he heard from local leaders that they’re “spending more time battling the federal government and BP than they are battling the oil.” He said he’s heard that workers on the ground have waited as long as five days to get answers from federal agencies. “There’s no excuse for that,” he said. Politico
Rep. Fred Upton: Solve The Problem,  Now Is Not The Time To Score Political Points. Michigan Republican Fred Upton, tried to head off any attempt by Democrats to use the hearing to push for their energy bill, which is still awaiting action in the Senate. Upton said he was “disheartened to learn that a few of the questions have nothing to do with the disaster that we’re trying to solve and serve the sole purpose of scoring political points and trying to advance an unrelated policy agenda that will raise taxes, eliminate American jobs and leave consumers already struggling in this down economy with high energy costs.” CNN
Republicans Aim To Cut More Spending …
Rep. Jason Chaffetz Announces The 4th Winning YouCut Proposal – Sell Excess Federal Property … Watch The Video HERE


Meanwhile As The Administration Continues Push For More Spending ….

Keith Hennessey Points To A CBO Report That Indicates That The President’s Policies (More Stimulus) Will Push This Year’s Deficit To Over 10% Of Our GDP. In the letter the President presses Congress to enact the “extenders bill.”  You can see his list of spending priorities for the bill.  The letter is being interpreted primarily as a push for nearly $50 B in new aid to States: $23 B for teachers, and $25 B for Medicaid.  The letter includes a key sentence with technical meaning:  “We must take these emergency measures.”  The word emergency is code for “you don’t have to offset the deficit increase resulting from this spending.”  This is the green light for Congress to spend away.   … Any fiscal stimulus would significantly increase an extremely large short-term budget deficit.  CBO estimates this year’s deficit would be 9.4% of GDP under current law, and 10.3% if the President’s policies are enacted. ….  For the White House press corps, here’s a suggested question for Mr. Gibbs:  “Why doesn’t the President insist that Congress offset the immediate spending increases with spending cuts or tax increases three or four years from now?”  KeithHennessey.com