Oil Spill Obama's Katrina? Really?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

President Obama will make his first Oval Office address to the nation tonight when he talks to the American people about the Gulf Oil Disaster. Constitutional scholars have started to debate what exactly in Presidential Powers can be done to press BP to pay-up, clean-up, and/or take orders from the American Government.

The classic two theories on presidential powers come from Teddy Roosevelt and his hand-picked successor, William Howard Taft.

Roosevelt's "Stewardship Theory," basically stipulates that anything not prohibited by the Constitution, is all good for the president who needs to use the Bully Pulpit he'll have tonight.

Taft, using the "Whig Theory" looked strictly at presidential powers. If the constitution did not specifically express the power to the president, the Chief Executive lacked a big stick to swing at BP.

Interestingly, those who claim Obama has created too much government and want to continue to, "Drill Baby, Drill," must have forgotten the history of President George W. Bush (43) arguably overstepping his authority, using his BP to benefit BP, Shell and the rest of big oil, when he lifted an executive order banning drilling on the Outer Continential Shelf. The order was signed by his presidential father, George HW Bush (41) following the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/14/AR2008071401049.html

Congress by law lifted the ban just two months later. And it was "Drill Baby, Drill!"

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/sep2008/2008-09-30-091.asp


Obama's Katrina? Really? It is important to keep recent history of presidential orders, moratoriums and sunset legislation pieces in mind when considering what the government can, or cannot do, to stop this disaster. Obama temporarily banned the off shore drilling immediately after the explosion. But our president needs to do more even if constitutional scholars, and right-wingers might question the authority.

Here's hoping President Obama comes out like TR and uses the Bully Pulpit to bully BP. The President and Congress before him used a broad stoke to open the way for this mess. It's time to carry a big stick and show that "Yes, We Can," is not just a campaign motto.

Let me kow what you think the president can do, or should say, when he speaks to the American people tonight.