One of the more depressing aspects of BP’s petro-pocalypse in the Gulf of Mexico has been the readiness, even eagerness of many to turn this national catastrophe into just another opportunity for hyperventilating partisanship. You would think that this moment of crisis could have been a chance for the nation to forget its political differences and rally in unity to defeat a common ecological scourge. Not.

It does matter how well the President and government respond to this disaster; unfortunately there is scarcely a critic out there in the vast wasteland of American punditry who can be trusted to present an honest and, dare I say it, helpful critique, and fewer still who have any idea how we can get out of the mess BP’s carelessness has gotten us into. Sarah Palin has naturally taken as much advantage of this crisis as she can, with one presumes an eye on showing Tea Partiers some leadership heading toward 2012. But she suffered her own blowout on, of all places, The O’Reilly Factor last night after heading for Fox’s friendly confines and instead finding a lion’s den. Her wobbly, petulant “verbage” was a jaw-dropping marvel to behold after O’Reilly tossed her a few wholly predictable questions that her handlers somehow did not prepare her for. Particularly liked the reference to the Dutch and their skill with dikes.

Were it any other politician in America, I would say this sorry, sophomore’s “what had happened was” performance would be enough to put presidential aspirations aside, but this is Sarah P., and I feel like I am taking crazy pills times a billion whenever I turn on cable news, so who can say?

Hat-tip to the Daily Dish.

 

Kevin Clarke is America’s chief correspondent and the author of Oscar Romero: Love Must Win Out (Liturgical Press).