Too Clueless To Pick Up The Phone: Obama Admits He Has Never Spoken To BP's Hayward

Old South couldn't believe it, thinking 'Naw, this is just urban legend stuff spewed by some nutter. Couldn't possibly be true...'

To quote an old buddy: Well, cut my legs off, and call me Shorty!

It's true! Obama never bothered to pick up his telephone as the tragedy unfolded, first with the explosion that killed eleven of his fellow citizens, and then the leak that has polluted the Gulf of Mexico. OS is, however, relieved to report that the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Winner made his tee times. First thangs first, ya'll...

OS sought and he found: MSNBC's account of his interview on June 8 with Matt Lauer on the Today Show:

The president also defended not having spoken to Hayward.

"I have not spoken to him directly," he told Lauer. "Here's the reason. Because my experience is, when you talk to a guy like a BP CEO, he's gonna say all the right things to me. I'm not interested in words. I'm interested in actions."

(Pot, meet kettle.)

OS has one initial reaction: What?

Lessee--BP oil rig blows up in the Gulf, lots of folks killed, and perhaps a biiiiiig mess to clean up. BP is also a big employer in the US, in all sorts of ways. Don't cher normal person in a position of responsibility at a time like this do something like this:

1. Pick up the phone, and call someone high up at BP. Betcha someone can dig up Tony's cell phone number within the hour.

2. Express condolences, concern, and ask two simple questions: What's going on, and what can we do to help? We've got the world's best navy, the world's best hospitals, and the number one thang we need to pay attention to is makin' daaaaam sure that well ain't leaking no crude into the Gulf of Mexico! Everything we got, we'll throw at this thang, here's my cell phone number, Tony, I'm on my way to the Pensacola Naval Air Station. Getcherself on your plane. I'll meet you there, and we'll get after this thang together. Already got a guest room set aside for you and the misses, 'cuz you'll probably be there for while. Bring yer clubs, and we'll even get in a couple of rounds to talk stuff over. And yes, we will be sending you the bill, dontchew doubt that. In the meantime, let's get this thang byGod solved.

Is this too hard a thing to do?

Moh', latuh. OS is attempting to digest this, and suspects there is much worse, more evil, news to learn. Something smells much worse than all that dead fish.

Call me Shorty, meanwhile.