PeBO Apparently Bored With The Whole Gulf Oil Spill Thing

He’s made his speech, visited the Gulf a few times, blamed a whole bunch of people, so, it is time for Obama to move on to other things that have importance to Himself. He had nothing scheduled this weekend, except some golf (we haven’t heard what he did Sunday, but, being Father’s Day, I’d give him a chance to relax and rewind. Mostly). Plus that Nationals ball game Friday night. Even the Washington Post is wondering if Obama is blowing the situation off, phraseology would be much worse if it was a Republican in the Oval Office

Has the president turned the corner on the oil drilling crisis?

This week’s schedule for President Obama suggests that the White House believes he has. After dominating the conversation in Washington all last week, the environmental crisis in the Gulf of Mexico does not appear front and center on the White House calendar.

Was it truly ever on the front burner? The Talking Point that he and his administration were “engaged since Day 1” was a farce, and Obama has used the spill to bully, badger, get a slush fund, put a moratorium on some drilling, have a few photo ops, and push cap and tax.

But the administration is clearly expecting — maybe hoping — that the intense public attention on the spill fades a bit, starting with this week, giving them a chance to turn to other subjects.

I doubt the media and the people around the Gulf will comply. A quick flip through CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC all mention, in depth, the problems with the spill. Newspapers are still focusing on it. But, Obama is bored with the whole thing.

For the rest of the week, Obama and his aides hope they can focus on Afghanistan, health insurance reform, relations with Russia (whose president arrives for a visit on Thursday) and the global economy.

He will discuss fatherhood and mentoring today, Tuesday is health and a party celebration LGBT Pride month, Wednesday he will discuss Afghanistan and Pakistan, something he apparently only does once a month (seriously? Once a month?). Also, he will discuss cap and tax. Thursday, he meets with President Medvedev , and heads to Canada on Friday to attend the G8. We can give him that one.

Were there President’s name “Bush”, the WP would be ripping him apart for this, instead of a gentle chiding, which ends with

Emanuel suggested to Tapper that Barton’s comments were indicative of a “governing philosophy. And I think what Joe Barton did is remind the American people, in case they’ve forgotten, this is how the Republicans would govern.”

But if that’s a message that West Wing officials hope to exploit before the fall elections, the public schedule suggests that it’s not one they intend to offer themselves this week.

Obama and his peeps live in some alternate reality, one where if it isn’t About Obama, it doesn’t matter.

Crossed at Pirate’s Cove. Follow me on Twitter @WilliamTeach

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