FreedomWorks CEO Goes To Bat For BP, Calls Oil Spill ‘A Natural Disaster’.

A problem for the Tea Party protesters: how does one call for less government intervention whilst, simultaneously, attacking Obama for "doing too little" when it comes to the BP oil spill in the Gulf.

FreedomWorks President Matt Kibbe provides the answer:

KIBBE: Well I think if you look at what’s happened down there, it’s a sad story of government incompetence as well as negligence on the part of BP. And I think what you have to look at is when there is a natural disaster like this we do expect our government to do some things and to do them well. And the whole point of limited government is you want the government to be competent at those few things that we need it to do and this is an example where the government was asleep at the switch and there’s a series of regulations that led to deep drilling as opposed to more economical and safer options.

Now, apart from the obligatory statement that there was "negligence on the part of BP", the most important thing he is trying to do is move the blame towards Obama, by stating that this is "a natural disaster".

Now, this is unquestionably an environmental disaster, but it is not a natural disaster in the way that Katrina was.

Of course, natural disasters are uncontrollable events such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and tornadoes. Tens of millions of gallons of oil flowing into the Gulf of Mexico due to an oil company’s negilgence and misconduct does not qualify. In fact, just last year, BP opposed stricter safety and environmental rules proposed by the U.S. Minerals Management Service. A BP executive tried to fight off the new regulations on Capitol Hill, saying that drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) has been shown to be “both safe and protective of the environment.”

Natural disasters occur as a result of nature; hence the name. There are many ways in which one could describe the BP oil spill, but natural disaster simply isn't one of them.

Let's call it a corporate disaster. Or a "drill, baby, drill" disaster.

Tags: Tea Party protesters, BP Oil Spill, Obama