Stephen Colbert And James Carville On Gulf Oil Spill (VIDEO)

On his show last night, Stephen Colbert talked with James Carville about the Gulf oil spill, "Now James, I know you're so angry that you've pulled all your hair out, clearly. I am too!"

Colbert jokingly remarked about placing all the blame on President Obama, though Carville clearly had other targets in mind, saying, "You wanna know who to get mad at? Get mad at all of these idiots that came in and said these companies could self-regulate themselves."

Carville went on to describe the situation in the Gulf as a war, and that focus should be put on finding and tracking all of the underwater oil plumes, "How are you gonna fight the enemy if you don't know where the enemy is?"

WATCH Stephen Colbert and James Carville discuss the Gulf oil spill:

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Oil Spill Rage - James Carville
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Fox News

Comments

[Scott McVarish]

02:34 AM on 06/09/2010

don't let another crisis pass without taking some action: http://www.causes.com/causes/494210/about?m=cfc9554f = President Obama, Kick BP's Ass!

[rf dude]

12:11 AM on 06/09/2010

Only one rule: No Tongues...
;;

[philosopherkingtomas]

05:58 PM on 06/08/2010

IMPEACH PALIN 2013 one year after the apolcalypse!

[hapsburg]

05:28 PM on 06/08/2010

Obama's advance team show him in every photo wearing nice clothes with no oil soaked wildlife or marches in sight. Presidential handlers would be wise to put his butt in a small boat with media in tow showing this horrendous man-made disaster ... show him with sweat on his brow and clothes holding the oil coated birds and suffocating marshes having a slow and painful existence.. show him the thousands of dead wildlife. Not a nice picture to take home to his daughters! Anderson Cooper is showing the truth. Time for the President to see and experience the truth.

Where is Pitt & Jolie? Oprah? Tyler Perry? Spike Lee? PETA? Clooney and his telethon to raise money for America's Gulf War? This devastation is as important and heart wrenching as flooded New Orleans and damaged Haiti! Rescuing wildlife, marshes and ocean is imperative! Wake up DC! GET THE TRUTH PICTURE ... not staged photo ops and scripted speeches.

Read the Monroe Doctrine! Foreigners attacked America's shores. Her people and supposedly government "of the people, by the people, and for the people" need to do whatever to protect her. Humans have f**k*d up "America the Beautiful." We're made as Hell, and not going to take it anymore. Stop being wussies, get off your butts and take care of business!

Walk your talk Obama. Feel this devastation with your heart, not your head. Take the family to the Gulf for summer vacation and help clean up!

[Angiefranci]

03:24 PM on 06/08/2010

Though I love the president, I'm with Carville on this one. They simply just can't get a clear grasp on the magnitude of this problem, and it's a true head-scratcher.

[davidpkronmiller]

02:06 PM on 06/08/2010

Carville's over reaction the other week was precisely why the DNC has had trouble over the years - unfocused anger or emotion turns people off and doesn't instill in them any trust. Not to mention it further re-enforced the notion that Democrats have a hard time sticking together.

And maybe Carville realized that he was in the White House for a bit and didn't do anything to really curb the oil industry either.

[xlntcat]

03:02 PM on 06/08/2010

Carville's motives for his phony staged histrionics have yet to be revealed but it did kick off CNN's misleading efforts to gin up the mob to increase their in the toilet ratings and it worked. Would Carville deliberately exploit the crisis to try to take down this administration. You betcha! Carville is Hillary's lap dog and her losing the primary meant he lost his hope of a cabinet position. He threw a "hissy" fit then, also. One of the factor revealed yesterday is that Louisiana is trying to force the Federal Government to go in and pay out claims putting the government in the position of then trying to collect from BP. In other words, they want you to borrow the money, pay the interest and possibly wait 20 years to recoup your loses if you ever do. I am not interested in bailing out BP. Due to the bad PR Bush got in the aftermath of Katrina, FEMA was giving out checks in LA left and right, no questions ask. It was HUSH money and you will recall you got to pay for strip clubs, plastic surgery, and extravagant spending spress as a result. By the way, you haven't paid back the money you borrowed to do that with yet and the interests continues to mount.

[KDog76A]

03:27 PM on 06/08/2010

why don't you get a clue and look at the facts about how the administration has dragged its feet through this one, instead of referring to Carville, the biggest Democratic Party cheerleader in history, as phony and staged.

[feliznavidad]

05:11 PM on 06/08/2010

Good points! I think the only sensible solution is for the people to take over BP, spend what's needed on clean up and bringing legitimate business people to solvency. Then we can return what's left of BP to the stockholders. If BP disputes any claims, they can sue the federal government to get the difference -- not the other way around. Any red states ready to stand up and say no more government spending?

[ljc]

02:02 PM on 06/08/2010

James Carville....raised in Carville Louisiana.

Carville is an unincorporated community in Iberville Parish, Louisiana, United States that is 16 miles south of Baton Rouge on the Mississippi River. Carville is the hometown of political personality James Carville and was named after his grandfather, the postmaster. It is also the location of the National Hansen's Disease Museum, which records the history of the U.S. Public Health Service Hospital there, which for a hundred years treated leprosy (now called Hansen's Disease) patients. The hospital has been closed, but several of the buildings remain.


ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.....

[kwaut lizard]

02:55 PM on 06/08/2010

Some of the original patients are still living out the remainder of their lives there. They are nice people who had to live through a life of gross stigmatization in a time of horrible religious persecution and little knowledge regarding their condition. However, you do not have the luxury of claiming ignorance in this day and age. I have been to Carville and have lived in 3 other colonies for Hansen's Disease patients, am a much better person for it and greatly take offense to your 'ewww...' remark.

[spilkus]

02:40 AM on 06/09/2010

I agree. I once attended a hockey game for Hanson's disease patients... it was great. There was a face-off in the corner... but it was great.

[feliznavidad]

05:13 PM on 06/08/2010

Childish and ignorant comment. You might want to recall that Jesus Christ healed the lepers, and was castigated for talking to them.

[nobleday]

01:44 PM on 06/08/2010

Come on James! Videos of government officials talking, notes, white boards, and phone conferencing leaked to the web. They all knew the spill was bad from Day One. It was obvious to anyone with any common sense it was seriously bad from Day One.

Obviously you have been beaten up by Democratic leaders....too bad. I was just having enormous respect for you and your wife to talk truth in the midst of a national disaster. Now you're backpedaling...so sad.

We all know Obama just chose to party on – from one gala to the next for the past month in the midst of a crisis. Bono, Sir Paul, Beyonce, Calderón, World Cup Soccer...and on and on. Who wouldn't rather rock celebrity concerts and schmooze at extravagent dinners instead of problem-solving and oil disaster? No wonder Obama thinks he has the "best job in the world."

[davidpkronmiller]

02:00 PM on 06/08/2010

So Obama is suppose to stop all State Functions because BP, Halliburton and gang decided to try to cut corners and create the worst oil spill in US History?

What kind of leader would he be if he did that? And is he suppose to create a panic? Does that make any sense?

The spill was yes, obviously really bad to a lot of us from the beginning and I'm certain they understood that as well - but what else would you have them or Obama do? Hm?

Please be specific because a lot of us are tired of the finger pointing and are really curious if any of the hecklers have actual ideas.

What could he have done differently? Given a warm and fuzzy angry speech? I thought no one liked it when he gave speeches - you want one now all of a sudden? And his speaking or getting angry or saying "it's really bad folks" - that solves the problem? That cleans up the oil?

Carville's reaction the other week was lacking in maturity and reason and did nothing to solve the problem. And I also didn't see him going out on a boat himself to help - so come on - I'm glad he's mellowed - he needed to.

[xlntcat]

03:09 PM on 06/08/2010

Enormous respect to talk truth:

Give me a break. LA governor has jurisdiction from 3 miles out to his coast line and yet he was the only governor who failed to take any action whatsoever to protect the coast line or the marshes.
You believe that Matalin failing to be able to see skimmers 40 miles out is an example of "talking truth" thus you believe that Palin actually can see Russia from her house. You believe that a man who grew up in South Louisiana is so ignorant that he didn't know that trying to clean oil from marshes historically has done more harm than good. You believe that a man yelling, "We are dying" miraculously recovered to attend Limbaugh's wedding even though nothing significant had changed by last weekend. If you believe that nonsense, then I have some prime swamp land in AZ I am sure will interest you.

[Ipanemagirl]

01:38 PM on 06/08/2010

Colbert, you always make my day!
In view of such sadness, I can need a few laughs, thank you!
For those of you who would like to help the effort to rescue wildlife or donate to the rescue, , I have posted a few links below to contact. They need all the help they can get!
The innocents in this spill, pay with their lives, its so unfair!

[DavidWyld]

01:35 PM on 06/08/2010

Right on - once again - amazingly - James Carville is perhaps the best spokesperson we in Louisiana have in this time of crisis! Kudos to Colbert for letting him have a forum - a great interview that all should watch and share with their friends and colleagues!

David http://wyld-business.blogspot.com/

[xlntcat]

03:16 PM on 06/08/2010

It isn't going to work. Louisiana is lived parasitically off of the Federal Government since Katrina and cannot account for where the billions of tax payer dollars went. No one is going to jump on the bandwagon for you to fleece the Federal Government into picking up your tab and then trying to recoup our loses from BP. Louisiana has bowed at the throne of the oil industry for the past century blocking all efforts to decrease risk and increase safety and the chicken's came home to roost. BP not the federal government is responsible for paying you for your loses. Your local and state government were responsible for preparing to mitigate your loses by taking action to protect your shoreline and marshes. The local and state officials were responsible for notify the coast guard of their needs and ensuring that protective measures were effectively in place. How come Louisiana doesn't know this.

[Ipanemagirl]

01:34 PM on 06/08/2010

Below are links to Wildlife Rescue teams in the Gulf working to save what they can of the 600+ species in grave danger and the already endangered Kemp's Ridley turtles, Bluefin tuna, West Indian Manatee and Brown Pelican. They're as stressed as the animals:help/donate

International Bird Rescue Research Center [in Louisiana]:
http://intbirdrescue.blogspot.com/2010/04/team-activated-to-help-in-massive-gulf.html

Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research [in Louisiana]:
http://www.tristatebird.org/

National Audubon Society:
http://www.audubon.org/

HSUS Wildlife Care Center in Florida for BP oil spill response:
http://www.humanesociety.org/news/news/2010/05/wildlife_affected_by_oil.html
http://www.humanesociety.org/animal_community/shelters/wildlife_care_center.html

Pascagoula River Audubon Center:
http://pascagoulariver.audubon.org/issues-action/oil-spill-efforts

The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies:
http://www.imms.org/index.php

Gulf Coast Wildlife Rescue :
http://gcwr.org/how_can_i_help.html

The Louisiana Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Rescue Program:
http://www.auduboninstitute.org/gulf-oil-spill-resources

New England Aquarium - Marine Animal Rescue Team Blog:
http://rescue.neaq.org/

The Avian Conservation Center: The Center for Birds of Prey - Charleston, South Carolina
http://www.thecenterforbirdsofprey.org/

Mobile Bay National Estuary Program, Alabama
http://www.mobilebaynep.com/

IBRRC International Bird Rescue Research Center:
http://www.ibrrc.org/

US Fish and Wildlife Service:
http://www.fws.gov/home/dhoilspill/index.html

The Gulf Of Mexico Sea Grant Programs:
http://gulfseagrant.tamu.edu/oilspill/index.htm

[davidpkronmiller]

02:01 PM on 06/08/2010

Wow - thanks for actually posting ways people can help and find out great info. Thank you. Fanned.

[Ipanemagirl]

02:56 PM on 06/08/2010

welcome!and dont hesitate to pass this info along as I did ! Many people want to know where they can help but have no idea.

[kwaut lizard]

02:57 PM on 06/08/2010

Thank you!

[scottowego]

12:23 PM on 06/08/2010

April 20 (10 p.m.): Oil rig explosion. An April 21 ABCNews.com article reported, "An overnight explosion in the Gulf of Mexico rocked the Deepwater Horizon oil rig off the Louisiana coast, sending spectacular bursts of flame into the sky. The fires were still raging today." The U.S. Coast Guard's National Oil and Hazardous Substances Response System assigns primary responsibility for cleaning up oil spills to the spiller as the responsible party.

April 21: Deputy Secretary of Interior, Coast Guard dispatched to region. An April 22 White House statement noted that following a briefing with President Obama, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad Allen, Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, EPA Deputy Administrator Bob Perciasepe, and FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, "Deputy Secretary of the Interior David Hayes was dispatched to the region yesterday to assist with coordination and response." The Coast Guard announced that four units were responding to the fire, with additional units en route.

* Search and rescue efforts begin for 11 missing. An initial focus of the response was the search for 11 missing crewmembers. The search was called off April 23.

* BP confirms U.S. Coast Guard was "leading the emergency response" In an April 21 press release, British Petroleum stated that it was "working closely with Transocean and the U.S. Coast Guard, which is leading the emergency response, and had been offering its help - including logistical support."
http://mediamatters.org/research/201004300053

[davidpkronmiller]

02:03 PM on 06/08/2010

So what you're saying is the government did respond - just no one cares anymore about April 21st. Sad but true.

[xlntcat]

03:22 PM on 06/08/2010

No we are saying we are all curious as to why your governor remained in Baton Rougse writing letters to people who were already one the ground in his state. We wonder why local officials didn't have city personnel and volunteers out clearing the beaches of debris every day to make clean up more expeditious? We are wonder why a Parish President had to drag your governor to the marshes to know that the oil was in the marshes. We are wondering why unlike every other state affected by Louisiana's oil the state took no responsibility in seeing that boom was effectively utilized and why it wasn't checked daily. We are wondering why Louisiana was doing surveying the approaching oil spill daily and were taken by surprise as they had had 5 weeks to prepare.

[roch20]

12:11 PM on 06/08/2010

Awesome...

[donmarchi]

05:56 PM on 06/08/2010

There is an old saying, "as soon as you've shown anger, you have lost the battle"
As President Obama said this morning on NBC, this is not theatre. He also said he has to work the problem. Spending time venting for the press will not solve anything.
I click off Keith Olberman when he goes on one of his angry rants.
As the President said this morning, he is more interested in actions, not words. We should be too.
Has a legal services fund been established to help those hurt in the accident, getting sick during the clean up and losing their livelihoods? They will need the services of lawyers to file their lawsuits against BP. Any concerts or telethons organized?