State of the Union: Candy Crowley's Crib Sheet for June 6

[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/04/04/art.candycribnew0404.cnn.jpg caption="In her Crib Sheet, CNN's Candy Crowley wraps the news from Sunday's political talk shows."]
It depends on what the definition of “very pleased” is:

Using his newly honed “dial it back” technique, Admiral Thad Allen did a field edit on BP’s statement that it was “very pleased” with its containment lid operation. Allen suggested progress was one thing, but he didn’t think anyone should be pleased as long as there’s oil in the water, which, just guessing, may be a while.

Allen is clearly in all-military mode now, calling the oil an “insidious enemy…holding the Gulf hostage.”

Blame the Media:

Florida Sen. Bill Nelson (D) does and so does Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R)

Seems there is a pre-disaster disaster afoot in Florida and Mississippi.  As Nelson put it, “the bad part is, people think there’s oil there,” so they are cancelling vacation plans and not eating the fish. “The biggest negative impact for us“ Barbour says, “has been the news coverage…the average viewer…thinks the whole coast from Florida to Texas is ankle deep in oil.”

For the record, SOTU showed pictures of healthy Gulf birds in the close, just sayin’.

In 25 seconds or less

And finally, a tip of the hat to Gov. Barbour who renewed our belief that he remains one of the best politicians in the country.  Who else, asked to assess how the administration is handling the oil crisis, could both rise above it and jump right in? For your listening pleasure:

Gov. Haley Barbour (R-Mississippi), on “Fox News Sunday”
“The American people want problems solved and they don't need Republican politicians like me piling on. The American people are making up their minds pretty clearly about what they think of the administration's performance in this disaster and I'll let it stand at that. You know, Napoleon said 'Never interfere with an enemy while he's in the process of destroying himself.'”

Adm. Thad Allen, National Incident Commander, on CNN’s “State of the Union”
“I don't think anybody should be pleased as long as there is oil in the water. What they have been able to do is put a containment cap over the leak site, start to bring oil to the surface and produce it, and slowly start turning off those vents that are venting the oil. So I would say progress has been made, but nobody should be pleased until the relief well is done.”
Crowley: “This is why people have a problem with BP, isn't it?”
Allen: “They are making progress. I think they need to understand that they can set out goals and that's good. We all need to know it is the relief wells, capping this well, killing this well is what's important.”

Adm. Thad Allen, National Incident Commander, on CNN’s “State of the Union”
“My job is to state the facts. And the facts are there is oil on the beach, as you've said. So we need to keep focusing on that and the response. You know, this is an insidious enemy that's attacking all our shores. It's holding the Gulf hostage, basically.”

Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Florida), on CBS “Face the Nation”
“If they don’t get this thing cut off, there's going to be a lot of oil in the gulf sloshing around, it's going to considerably alter our way of life. It wasn't that bad, the bad part is that people think that there's oil there and they're cancelling their hotels...they're cancelling orders at fish houses...there’s a huge economic impact that's beginning to be felt.”

Gov. Haley Barbour (R-Mississippi), on “Fox News Sunday”
“The biggest negative impact for us has been the news coverage. There's been no distinction between Grand Isle and Venice and the places in Louisiana that we feel so terrible for that have had oil washing up on them, but to the average viewer of this show thinks that whole coast from Florida to Texas is ankle deep in oil. And of course it's very very bad for our tourist season. That's the real economic damage.”

Gov. Charlie Crist (I-Florida), on CNN’s “State of the Union”
“We have some of the best attorneys in the country here in Florida. And they have dealt with issues like this in the past, some other maritime issues that we have had to be faced with. So we are putting that together. But in the near term - in the short-term, if you will, we want these claims to be responded to much more quickly. BP is setting up claims offices throughout the state. But we want them to answer those claims more rapidly, because these people need help.”