Oil Spill Springs a Gusher of Conspiracy Theories

(May 4) -- It didn't take long after news of the Gulf Coast oil rig explosion broke before the far right began floating conspiracy theories.

Leading off was Rush Limbaugh, who speculated that environmentalists could have set off the April 20 explosion to derail an energy bill before Congress that would include offshore drilling:

"Now, lest we forget, ladies and gentlemen, the carbon tax bill, cap and trade that was scheduled to be announced on Earth Day. I remember that. And then it was postponed for a couple of days later after Earth Day, and then, of course, immigration has now moved in front of it. But this bill, the cap-and-trade bill, was strongly criticized by hard-core environmentalist wackos because it supposedly allowed more offshore drilling and nuclear plants, nuclear plant investment. So, since they're sending SWAT teams down there, folks, since they're sending SWAT teams to inspect the other rigs, what better way to head off more oil drilling, nuclear plants, than by blowing up a rig? I'm just noting the timing here."

Noting the timing, but offering no evidence -- though that hasn't stopped others from picking up on the Monkey Wrench Gang meme. On Monday, Dana Perino, former press secretary for President George W. Bush, appeared on "Fox and Friends" and asked, "Was this deliberate?"

Meanwhile, former FEMA head Michael Brown, who earned infamy for his role in the Bush administration's relief effort after Hurricane Katrina, has accused President Barack Obama of using the spill to galvanize the country against offshore drilling. "This is exactly what they want, because now he can pander to the environmentalists and say, 'I'm gonna shut it down because it's too dangerous,' " Brown said. "This president has never supported Big Oil, he's never supported offshore drilling and now he has an excuse to shut it back down."

To raise just one problem with this theory -- again floated without evidence -- there's the inconvenient fact that Obama is responsible for recently reversing the ban on offshore drilling along most of the U.S. coast. (If anything, the oil that's continuing to spill out is pressuring Obama to revisit his position.)

BP America President Lamar McKay has publicly refuted the conspiracy theories, even though he would have a lot to gain if someone else could be blamed for the explosion of the rig that his company operated. "I believe we have a failed piece of equipment," he told ABC News. "We don't know why it failed yet."

Meanwhile, it's been interesting to see some push back against the conspiracy theories on conservative forums. On Saturday, a poster to the Sean Hannity discussion board posed the question: "did some eco terrorist sneak aboard the rig as a worker, kitchen help, tool pusher and set off an explosive charge?" Other posters quickly poured cold water on that hypothesis: "The thought of an eco-terrorist being so well funded that he could get aboard an off shore oil rig and blow it up and not claim responsibility for it is kinda ... interesting," wrote one. Another chimed in: "C'mon, this is tantamout [sic] to the conspiracy theory that Obama isn't a U.S. citizen."

Other media figures have taken to the airwaves to scold Limbaugh and his fellow conspiracy-theory peddlers. "What a ridiculous comment to make," said MSNBC's Chris Matthews. "We're talking about the worst environmental disaster in several years, where a whole part of our world we live in could be destroyed for years and years. And here's this blowhard who says it might be sabotage by the environmentalists who care more about the habitat than anybody."

Limbaugh, as always, remains unrepentant, going so as far to say that concerns about the environmental consequences of the spill are unwarranted. The "ocean will take care of this on its own," he said, a claim disputed by scientists. But Limbaugh may get a chance to inspect the damage firsthand. Some say the oil spill eventually will float up Florida's east coast, past Limbaugh's $30 million West Palm Beach home.