Jeff Haller/Keyhole Photo/Corbis
The Gulf of Mexico oil spill is being handled by two Barack Obamas. The first Obama is a rabble-rousing populist who wants to redirect public anger towards BP and away from his administration. The second Obama is a pragmatist who thinks being impulsive – and freaking out – will ultimately do more harm than good.
It was the second Obama who visited the Gulf Coast Monday and urged tourists to come and sample the area’s oil-free beaches this holiday season. “There are a lot of beaches that have not been affected and will not be affected,” he said. “If people want to help, the best way to help is to come down here and visit.”
NewsFeed understands that the likely drying-up of tourism in the wake of the spill in the Gulf will only serve to further harm the region’s fragile economy and applauds Obama for doing his part to minimize the region’s losses. And while nothing can stop NewsFeed from imagining humorous similarly-worded pronouncements from presidents past, (“There are a number of naval bases that have not been attacked by the Japanese,”) it’s worth noting that Obama was merely following in the great American tradition of spurring a nation to overcome disaster by opening its pocketbooks.
TIME praised George Bush for doing it in 2001, and it would be positively churlish of us not to do it again. So, readers, venture south and spend away! Just remember to please not touch the oil globs. (via USAToday)