Oil leak is stopped for first time since April 20 blowout

As part of what BP calls an “integrity test,” a robotic submersible slowly closed a valve on the well’s new sealing cap. That choked the flow until the plume, a fixture of cable TV and many a nightmare, disappeared. The technological breakthrough came 87 days into the crisis, which began with the April 20 blowout that killed 11 workers and sent the burning rig Deepwater Horizon to the bottom of the gulf.

Chris Cillizza would have you believe that the Gulf Oil spill fades as issue; I expect that the Obamamedia will work that meme hard from now until the Congressional elections, and beyond into 2012. For instance, we will be reading fewer and fewer reports on the dismal condition in the Gulf states, and on the disastrous decision to have a moratorium on offshore drilling. Andrew Malcolm, however, has a different roundup:

Here’s the kind of daily news the crowd currently controlling the Capitol confronts:

Americans disapprove of U.S. President Barack Obama’s handling of almost every major issue and are deeply pessimistic about the nation’s direction, offering a bullish environment for Republicans in the November congressional elections, a Bloomberg National Poll shows.

A majority or plurality disapproves of Obama’s management of the economy, healthcare, the budget deficit, the overhaul of financial market regulations and the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, according to a Bloomberg National Poll.

And the same poll found almost six in 10 Americans regard Obama’s signature Afghan war effort as a lost cause.

Three out of four Americans oppose Obama’s moratorium on deepwater drilling, while a separate poll found that 57% support Arizona’s illegal immigrant law — and 17% think the state measure doesn’t go far enough on enforcement.

In Nevada, Reid appears to have closed the gap in his Senate reelection race against Republican Sharron Angle.

But his son, Rory NoLastName, trails badly in the governor’s race to Republican former federal judge Brian Sandoval. That’s another emerging crevice in Obama’s political strategy to wean Western states from their traditional GOP leanings.

After more than a year of healthcare and financial reform debates as the controlling Democratic agenda, the economy in general and jobs in particular remain by far the voters’ top concerns in a new Gallup Poll.

The economy was cited by 31% of respondents, and jobs by 22%. The next closest category was 11%. But that, ominously for incumbents facing elections, was “dissatisfaction with govt/Congress/politicians/poor leadership/corruption/abuse of power.”

According to a CBS News poll, 52% say Obama has not invested sufficient time in the economy. Only 13% believe his economic programs have helped them, and 23% say they’ve actually hurt, the poll found.

Seven in 10 lack confidence in their current member of Congress of either party, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll, and nearly six in 10 now lack faith that Obama will make the right decisions for the country.

Other than that, Captain Smith, it looks like smooth sailing ahead through this ice field.

Meanwhile,
Live from the Gulf: The Monumental Task of Overseeing BP’s $20 Billion Fund

Here’s the livecam BP Oil Spill Cam Stream:
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