Tragedy at sea a gift that keeps on giving

If nothing else, the ongoing hemorrhage of crude oil in the Gulf of Mexico serves to remind everyone that in nature one thing, at least, is impervious to the rhetorical abilities of Barack Obama.

Talk as he might, no amount of solemnity or gesticulation or media posturing will stop the leak. Of course, the president of the United States did not cause this disaster. Nonetheless, nearly two months into it, he seems unable to do anything about the problem except to point an accusing finger at BP. Would that Obama could use that same finger, perhaps augmented by an inflated ego, to plug the hole at the bottom of the sea. His legend, then, would surely grow- passing, presumably, his diminished approval rating.

The stupendous gush of wasted petroleum is also symbolic of the fiscal ruin that Congress and this administration have perpetrated on the American people. Indeed, compared to the trillions of dollars wasted by this government, the oil spill, in terms of cost, is but a gooey drop in the bucket. I grieve for the gulf's despoiled environment and dead wildlife, but what of the next generation of Americans who, thanks to federal irresponsibility, will be saddled with crushing debt? They are as much collateral damage as the turtles and pelicans.

Having an eye for morbid metaphors, I see plainly that this tragedy in the sea is a gift that keeps on giving.

Alexander Lee

Carol Stream