Length of time an oil spill from an offshore drilling rig in the Timor Sea has continued, uncontrolled, without any effective response from the oil drilling company: 70 days

Amount of additional time that experts now estimate the oil spill, leaking up to 2,000 barrels of oil per day, will continue, even if the drilling company’s 4th attempt is successful: Three weeks.

The 4th attempt to plug the drill was supposed to take place at the beginning of last week, then was postponed three times until this coming weekend. Now, drilling company PTTEP says it won’t even try to plug the leak causing the oil spill this weekend. Instead, it will just go and gather information about the leak.

Mike Allcorn, head of the oil company’s oil spill response team, said of the efforts to stop the two-and-a-half month long leak, “We remain very positive with the success that we’ve had to date.” Success? The oil spill hasn’t even been slowed down. Allcorn’s crews haven’t even been able to approach the leaking oil platform for fear that it might blow up.

I seem to remember a similar statement of unfounded optimism about oil drilling from here in the United States. “The right course is… the immediate drilling for more oil off of our shores.” – Mitt Romney

My prediction for the 2012 presidential campaign: If Mitt Romney wins the Republican nomination, ExxonMobil will be his running mate.