Meath: Obama sure could use Sarah Palin's help in Louisiana

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Jason Killian Meath at Big Government advises President Obama to ask Sarah Palin for help dealing with the Gulf oil spill:

It is no surprise Palin should grasp the BP disaster better than Obama. She was Chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, overseeing the state’s oil and gas fields for safety and ethics. Palin was a whistleblower on the commission, turning in a fellow Republican who was leaking information to oil insiders. As a former governor of Alaska, she presided over 20 percent of America’s domestically produced oil production – big, unforgiving outposts like Prudhoe Bay, North America’s largest oil field. In fact, it is her knowledge of big oil that thrust her into America’s living rooms.

Unlike many Alaskan politicians of both major political parties, Gov. Palin was never a flack for Big Oil:

She earned a reputation for not bending to the oil companies’ will, sometimes at great political risk. When she was thrust on the national stage, Palin brought moxie – and much-added ‘mojo’ – to John McCain’s foundering campaign. The strategy seemed simple, almost elegant: let Palin talk tough about America’s energy independence and the war hero handles national security. McCain and Palin were a dynamic duo for a few weeks, until the Lehman Brothers crisis and talk of bailouts ended their appeal.

But now, it seems Sarah Palin deserves yet another look. She’s the energizer bunny of politicians – a hockey mom from Wasilla who looks just as comfortable in a hard hat as she does in a red leather jacket. One can easily picture her in a room full of brainy engineers declaring, ‘This is a time to grab the grizzly by the ear and cap this gusher.’ The White House is already spending time they clearly don’t have in the midst of this crisis belittling Palin’s take-charge approach. And there will be those who will chastise her for her ‘Drill Baby Drill’ position — and they will conveniently forget this is Obama’s exact position. But in a crisis, Palin’s leadership style stands in sharp contrast to Obama’s community leader approach.

Since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded, Obama has hit the links, shot hoops and hosted fundraisers, while his government denies any responsibility for what has ensued in the aftermath. As the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico has now spread to Louisiana's wetlands, Gov. Bobby Jindal has continued to voice his frustration with both BP and the Obama administration. Come on, Mr. President, admit it. You're in way over your pay grade, and you need all the help you can get before this becomes your own personal Katrina II. Call Sarah.

- JP