ABC News Absolves Obama of Oil Spill Blame by Bashing Sarah Palin

ABC News on Sunday marvelously absolved President Obama of any blame concerning the Gulf oil spill by bashing former Alaska governor Sarah Palin.

After "World News Sunday's" opening segment about the crisis and how local citizens are being impacted, anchor Dan Harris said, "As we reported, the President is turning up the heat on BP, but the President is also feeling some heat himself with many critics questioning the way the White House is handling this crisis."

He then asked senior Washington editor Rick Klein, "Is there any evidence to substantiate the claim that the White House has been somehow abdicating responsibility and allowing BP to pick up too much of the heavy-lifting in this crisis?"

Strangely, Klein's response involved Palin (video follows with transcript and commentary, h/t Right Scoop): 

DAN HARRIS, ABC: As we reported, the President is turning up the heat on BP, but the President is also feeling some heat himself with many critics questioning the way the White House is handling this crisis. So we want to call in now our new senior Washington editor Rick Klein as we introduce a new segment on this broadcast which we're calling Political Insights. Rick Klein is there in Washington. Rick, let me ask you first: is there any evidence to substantiate the claim that the White House has been somehow abdicating responsibility and allowing BP to pick up too much of the heavy-lifting in this crisis?

RICK KLEIN, ABC: The White House is caught between two competing impulses here, Dan. On the one hand, they want to say, "We've been been on the case since day one handling this crisis." On the other hand, they continue to emphasize that this is a private operation to contain the spill, to clean up the mess in the Gulf. It's given Republicans an opportunity to turn the tables on the Democrats, to depict the Obama White House as too cozy with big oil.

This was Sarah Palin this morning.

(Begin Videotape)

SARAH PALIN: I don't know why the question isn't asked by the mainstream media and by others if there's any connection with the contributions made to President Obama and his administration and the support by the oil companies to the administration."

(End Videotape)

KLEIN: Really striking, Dan, from the woman who of course popularized that phrase "Drill, baby, drill!"

HARRIS: Right, and the Republicans certainly take their share of donations from the oil industry.

You got that?

Obama can't possibly be to blame for his administrations's pathetically slow response to this crisis because Sarah Palin popularized the phrase "Drill, baby, drill," and the Republicans also take donations from the oil industry.

Boy, that was easy, wasn't it?  

Thanks for those astute "Political Insights," Rick. I for one can't WAIT to see more of these new segments from the folks at ABC.

How 'bout you?