Gulf crisis (Rep. Eric Cantor)

I am pleased that tonight, President Obama will finally speak directly to the American people about the crisis in the Gulf, who’ve been searching for hope and leadership for 57 days. People have watched as oil continues to spill into the Gulf and wonder why this crisis has not been fixed. They’ve been frustrated but patient, and they deserve accountability. Simply put, the American people want all of our resources, time and focus to be directed toward stopping the spill and cleaning up the mess. Period.
I was in Louisiana just a few weeks ago with Congressman Steve Scalise and it’s clear that the people of the Gulf are frustrated and growing more desperate by the hour – for good reason. They see press conferences, interviews and rhetoric with no follow-through. The American people have been disappointed that in the two months since this catastrophe, too often finger pointing has been the substitute for leadership. Everyone knows who is responsible, but now is the time for solutions.

It is impossible to compare this crisis to any other that America has faced, but I hope that we can learn from the past. Our remarkable history has proven, time and again, that strong leaders do not divert attention from efforts to fix a crisis to instead focus on ideological efforts, which is why I believe that President Obama has a great opportunity to demonstrate real leadership. With folks in the region facing months and potentially years of uncertainty, the President should be ensuring that everything is being done to solve the immediate problem before he even thinks about pushing other reactionary pursuits while oil continues to spew into the Gulf. Additionally, I know that if the President focuses on the immediate problem, Americans are again ready to unite in a time of crisis and walk together to overcome it.