In times of crisis, you get a public reaction that is incoherence on stilts. On the one hand, most people know that the government is not in the oil business. They don't want it in the oil business. They know there is nothing a man in Washington can do to plug a hole a mile down in the gulf. On the other hand, they demand that the president 'take control.' They demand that he hold press conferences, show leadership, announce that the buck stops here and do something. They want him to emote and perform the proper theatrical gestures so they can see their emotions enacted on the public stage. They want to hold him responsible for things they know he doesn't control. Their reaction is a mixture of disgust, anger, longing and need. It may not make sense. But it doesn't make sense that the country wants spending cuts and doesn't want cuts, wants change and doesn't want change. .David Brooks
About This Quote
I can understand that there are people who think that the government shouldn't own the oil business, but they should still not be allowed to blow up the oil rigs. I think people are right to say that it is ridiculous for the government to shut down the oil industry; however, I don't think they should be allowed to blow up the oil rigs. We all know that our government is not in the oil business, but we also know that it's not very likely that anything will actually happen. I agree with him that the government doesn't have any more control over what happens underwater; however, it is still absurd for them to blow up the oil rigs.
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