So far just one head, Liz Birnbaum at U.S. Minerals Management Services is the first to go, reports say.  But is she even high enough the food chain to balance the wreckless destruction that has taken place as the oil flows?

Like the oil, the blame flows incrementally. Once it sinks in how this is worse than the Exxon Valdez spill, more rubber-stampers will have to be removed and replaced.

Everyone is so anxious to see this thing plugged up, that public statements are too often interpreted with a much more optimistic spin. We saw that this morning with the conflicts between the Coast Guard’s optimism, and BP’s more guarded stance.

Obama has done right to extend the moratorium on drilling, and should do it at least until the cleanup is done. That should take care of at least 100 years.

And he should know there is some relief with firing a few bureaucrats way too close to the industries they regulate.  When Big oil expects payback,  the people get screwed.  (BTW, isn’t it funny how the “small government” folks are now blaming big government’s lack of response to the spill? Pro-business amall government tendencies are responsible for a lack of response.)

In the meantime, grease up the bicycles and fire up the candles.

Our own oil dependency plays a role in all this too.