From the "Not exactly news" file.

Herman Cain is kind of nuts...

…and not all that, at all.

Republican plan? Too little, too late, thus falling short of their goal of none, never.

Petroleum turns out to be an ineffective medium for shrimp production.

Apparently Value Voters don't value Mitt.

Quote of the day.

Chris Demeur...

"Procedures weren't properly implemented" is, it seems, BP's company motto.

The coverage of the gulf clean up at Demeur, by the way, informed by Chris's experience as a hazardous materials professional, is on my 'can't miss' list, and I recommend it for yours.

From the "Be afraid…" file.

I'm afraid Mary's right…

Although the gusher in the Gulf is a terrible tragedy, in the long view, it is not as threatening to our oceans as global warming.

Very afraid.

What’s wrong in the Gulf of Mexico?

Lots of things, of course, but Dean Corgey, Seafarers International Union vice president for the Gulf Coast region, notes one that kind of surprises me, though on reflection I suppose it shouldn't...

The offshore exploration, production and service industry in the Gulf of Mexico, to the best of our knowledge, is 100 percent nonunion and increasingly foreign. Past attempts to organize these workers have been met with bitter opposition–not from employees but from employers.

Unions train workers, enforce safety regs and protect whistle blowers. How much difference would a union workforce have made in the decisions and actions that led up to the current crisis?

100% nonunion and totally screwed up. Seems to go hand in hand.

What Rudie said…

…slightly bowdlerized.

...the Gulf oil spill is not Obama's Katrina. No, it's his 9/11: a sudden, explosive event that hit in the first part of the presidency and revealed to the nation a threat that crosses party lines. Now, howzabout DC Republicans get off their bullsh*t propaganda machine for a little while and saddle up to help? Howzabout the media do what they demanded of Democrats after 9/11 and tell Republicans to put aside "partisan bickering" for the "good of the nation"? Maybe a little help instead of mindless slash and burn?

Oh, wait. Don't forget that we're dealing with Republicans.

Reminding us, of course, why...

Like rain on your wedding day...

...except I think this is actual irony. Via Litbrit, a BP ad from 1999...