(CNN) – Urging President Obama to "amp it up," former Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe said the president should invite the world's oil experts down to the Gulf to brainstorm a solution to the BP oil disaster.
"If I were President Obama I would call everybody in from all over the world. I have got no pride in this. We have got to shut this down," McAuliffe told CNN.
McAuliffe declined to join the chorus of critics who say the president hasn't shown enough emotion during the crisis. Still the one-time party chairman said former President Bill Clinton "probably would have moved the White House down there."
After his unsuccessful run to become governor of Virginia, the 53-year old McAuliffe started a clean energy company, GreenTech Automotive. Last month, he purchased the China based "My Car" electric vehicle company with plans to move manufacturing operations to the U.S. McAuliffe bought the company after test-driving one of the vehicles in London. The small two-seat electric vehicles can be plugged into a standard garage outlet and go 70 miles on one charge, at a cost between 13 and 15 thousand dollars, McAuliffe said.
"We have got to get off of oil… We need people buying electric vehicles," McAuliffe said. "China, the Middle East are eating our lunch in moving ahead on wind, solar, biomass, waste to energy. We should be the world leader," he added.
McAuliffe also dismissed the controversy over White House meddling in at least two Democratic Senate primaries. But the former DNC head said the White House should tell all it knows.
"I think they should put out what it is because I don't think anybody would be shocked at the end of the day, this is politics," McAuliffe said. "When I was head of the party, I would call people and tell people 'I don't want you to run.' That's your job."
From CNN Politics
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Terry, you should've amped up your campaign in Virginia. Now we're stuck with this clown McDonnell.
Oh, Terry. You and Carvill need to get over yourselves. Not everyone thought Bill was god.
Quite the contrary, actually.
"If I were President Obama I would call everybody in from all over the world. I have got no pride in this. We have got to shut this down," McAuliffe told CNN.
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I AGREE 1000%.
I don't think it is a matter of pride with the President, I do think that he's been doing so much that sometimes he needs to step back and have people like you pipe in with their suggestions.
While every village has it's elected leader, it still takes THE VILLAGE to make it all work. Thanks for being a part of the village.
Cut him some slack...
He's had campaign finance parties, Celebrity gatherings to honor a beatle, the guys been busy...
That little oil thing can wait
I rarely agree with this hack, but HE IS TOTALLY RIGHT.
The lying fraud of a president (no cap deserved) held a beer summit when he mispoke without all the facts (what else is uh, uh, uh, uh new), but yet he can't get a summit together to work on the BIGGEST DISASTER of our lifetimes?
My bad, the POS is busy joking around with hasbeen McCartney, golfing and campaigning to actually get something done.
The WORST most inept president of my lifetime by FAR.
Obama only cares when it has to deal with Muslims or sports.
Things such as the Gulf oil crisis, unemployment, are tanking economy, etc.-–are of no concern to Obama.
How did our country elect such an incompetent, empty suit-to be President of our country.
"McAuliffe declined to join the chorus of critics who say the president hasn't shown enough emotion during the crisis."
To hades with "emotion"... I want to see some leadership from the amateur-in-chief.
Enough with the lets "amp it up" stuff. We picked a careful and thoughtful President that wouldn't be making idiotic comments as the former did. The gov't isnt not in the oil clean up business and is there to make sure BP fixes their mess. We have no hidden technology that would have magically made this go any faster. The longer BP takes, the more it will cost them and they know it. The situation is tradgedy and needs to be stopped but people should be focusing more on BP and making sure this is fixed.
I find it hypocritical out how quick conservatives want "big gov't" to fix problems suddenly when they normally are whining about gov't staying out of free market interference. 9 years after 9/11, now every conservative demands the Fed police the border. Its a riot to see how they flipped their views to fit their attacks on Obama. Where was our increased security we wanted after 9/11? We got virtually ZIP!!
The truth is.......the government has no ability to do more than the oil companies can do.
All Obama could do, is spend billions to hire a competing oil company to come in and help solve the problem. The issue there, is that he has already wasted so many billions on social programs, that weren't even wanted, much less needed, that he can not afford to spend those billions, hiring another oil company to help.
That's what happens, when you don't set aside funds for contingencies.
Obama only sees an opportunity to push his cap and trade bill. He could care less about the Oil.
Who cares what another President would do, pure speculation.
The President is cool and that is what we need at a time like this. Everyone such as you is running your mouths. The President is an intelligent man and is absorbing all this information he receives. That goodness we don't have Bush and Brownie and the helm.
Everything you've said is obvious McAuliffe.
Got anything new?
Jumping up and down wont help when your sighting in.Men are from Mars and women are from who knows where with all the drama.
Is favorite song, is "Don't Worry be Happy", despite the fact our country is burining down all around us.
Show some leadership, you are the President of the United States. Your lack of leadership and your policies against business are systematically destroying this great country.
What a horrible mess this oil spill is and what a horrible job Obama is doing taking care of the problem. Nothing new because Oblamer is a horrible president.
Ah...Terry...are you still drinking the Tequila? Obama has called in the world's experts and they are working with Secretary Chu and Salazar. You really need to sober up.
Mr. McAuliffe, President Obama have better Idea than you think now so, please just stay what you are and prepare for another term to campaign for Governor.
Enough with questioning Obama's emotions already.
Unfortunately, Obama is not Clinton. Clinton was action, Obama sells ideas.
Terry's right, I think the whole nation agrees. Where the heck is the President's staff?? They should consider retirement if they can't present him better than this. Period.
The Obama administration is turning out to be the most corrupt since Nixon, and the most incompetent since Jimmy Carter. And the Democrats want him to show more emotion. I'd just like him to stop the trillions in corrupt spending, the tens of billions in corrupt vote buying, the corrupt job offers to influence politics, the disastrous foreign policy, the attacks and betrayal of Israel, and if he has time to go to PA and blame the Republicans he should have time to meet with the experts and figure out how to keep the oil of the beaches, and out of the marshes. And he could also stop insulting the people of AZ and the U.S. as a whole who support AZ immigration law!!! Control the border Obama!!!
I agree Obama needs to amp it up on this crisis.
but I am also glad that we are not still under an administration such as GW Bush's!
I can hear GW now (just like he did with Katrina).."oil spill ?... what oil spill??'
Who knows what is going on behind closed doors in the White House and government agencies about this issue.
One person can't be involved or run everything. The president relies on all the help he can get.
Why isn't BP telling us what is going on underwater? I agree with Anderson Cooper, we aren't being told enough.
Can Obama force them to talk? I doubt it.
No! No! No!
We do not need an emotional, hysterical President – we need a cool, strady hand at the helm!
What is WRONG with you simpletons!
You need anger and emotion to show that you care????
No! What we need is a clear-head that is NOT clouded by anger and emotion, but one that will carefully and deliberately thibk though all the ways to make BP pay!
Emotions cloud reason, you nitwits!!!!
AMP it up???? How about wake up.....He is like a deer in the headlights. He need to get his top people together and get clean up actions underway. Thus far his response has been pitiful. At least Bush got moving in a week.