Gulf Of Mexico Oil Platform Explosion and Spill

Republicans were heartened by President Obama's State of the Union Address in which he gave the (mushy) green light to increased offshore domestic oil drilling (and nuclear power). It was a decision that went against his grain and that of a big part of his party, and it was one that many of us applauded.

This explosion and fire on the platform in the Gulf cannot be helping things. A tragic situation not unlike this in the late 60's dealt California's offshore oil business a crippling blow, and what we see here is exactly what those arguing against the President's expansion have pointed to. After years of talking about how all the platforms did so well even against Katrina-force winds, this explosion/spill is seriously undercutting industry credibility.