BP began airing apologetic ads on TV, featuring BP CEO Tony Hayward promising to "do everything we can so this never happens again." And though the jury is out as to whether they're phony or sincere, Gulf coast residents aren't buying it. Perhaps Jimmy Kimmel said it best on Thursday's show: "Why not take all the money you're spending on commercials and jam it in the hole instead?" So, is Hayward really sorry, or is this just a way to get all those oil-covered pelicans off his back?
The good news is the containment cap is sort of working. Hayward said that in the last 24 hours, the cap has trapped about 420,000 gallons of oil—though it is estimated that between 500,000 to 1 million gallons are leaking daily. Still, he expects the cap will stop "the majority, probably the vast majority" of oil leaking from the well. Adm. Thad Allen said they want to slowly increase the amount of oil being trapped, but said the process was like plugging a garden hose with your finger. "You don't want to put your finger down too quickly, or let it off too quickly." But how many weeks until Hayward's guestimate becomes just another in a long line of gaffes?
Think Progress posted a convenient compilation of Hayward greatest hits, with classics like “What the hell did we do to deserve this?” and "I think the environmental impact of this disaster is likely to be very, very modest." And even if Hayward is being honest in the ads, PR experts say he's missing a key component. Gene Grabowski, a senior vice president with Levick Strategic Communications, told the Times-Picayune, "The one element they seem to be missing is laying out a plan for what they're going to do."
