Open Thread for the 8 p.m. ET Obama Speech
By Bronwyn's Harbor on June 15, 2010 at 7:12 PM in Current Affairs
Last night, in “The Myth of Energy Independence (Revisited),” Larry Johnson gave us a superb rundown and critique of what Obama’s likely to talk about in his first-ever Oval Office address.
Here’s a preview from today’s NYTimes’s “Obama Appoints Lawyer to Overhaul Oil Drilling Agency“:
President Obama will use his first Oval Office address to the nation Tuesday night to make the case for a comprehensive energy bill that would reduce the nation’s dependence on oil, and he will name a former Justice Department inspector general [PHOTO RIGHT: Michael Bromwich, a Washington lawyer who served in the Justice Department during the Clinton administration] to revamp the agency that oversees oil drilling, administration officials say.
What will Bromwich do? He is tasked with overhauling the Minerals Management Service. I’ve dug up more background on him, at the end. NOTABLE among my finds: Bromwich “has no significant experience with oil and gas issues.” Hey, so what. Our president had no executive experience, and look how he’s doing.
The NYT foresees several key elements in Obama’s speech:
- “Tough Talk on BP”
- “A New Escrow Account”
- “A Warning that Recovery Will Take Time”
- “A Recovery Czar”
- “The Case for a Greener Economy”
- “An ‘I’m In Charge’ Moment”
- “A Vow to Fix What’s Broken in Government”
- “A Feel Your Pain Moment”
P.S. I spotted the Oval Office photograph in the Washington Examiner‘s “Oval Office pre-game” blog post.
From the WaPo:
President Obama has selected Michael Bromwich, a partner in the law firm Fried Frank’s Washington D.C. and New York offices, to head the Minerals Management Service, the troubled agency that oversees offshore oil drilling, according to senior administration officials.
[...]
While Bromwich has no significant experience with oil and gas issues, he has a reputation for cleaning up embattled organizations. In addition to serving as as inspector general for the Justice Department under President Clinton for five years, he worked as the District Metropolitan Police Department’s independent monitor on the issue of excessive force and as the independent investigator for the Houston Police Department’s crime lab. He also served as an associate counsel in the Iran-Contra investigation in the late 1980s.
Here’s a portion of Bronwich’s bio at the law firm Fried Frank (which makes me want to grab some mustard):
Michael R. Bromwich is a litigation partner resident in Fried Frank’s Washington, DC and New York offices, where he heads the Internal Investigations, Compliance and Monitoring practice group. He joined the Firm as a partner in 1999.
Mr. Bromwich concentrates his practice on conducting internal investigations for private companies and other organizations, including investigations for Audit Committees and Special Committees; providing monitoring and oversight services in connection with litigation and government enforcement actions; and representing institutions and individuals in white-collar criminal and regulatory matters. He also provides crisis management assistance and counseling.
More …
Of note: In June of 2009, Bronwich was considered a leading candidate to be U.S. Attorney in Washington, D.C. (See “Main Justice” for more stories about Bronwich’s career moves.)
by Ronald Scott
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