It will be a long time before Louisiana and the Gulf South recover from the devastation. I’m not referring to the oil spill. No, it’s the willful and senseless act of a President, desperately searching for some way to control events.

It might have made sense to slow down, to reconsider safety procedures, or to step up regulatory vigilence. Instead, Obama leaped off a cliff with no Plan B, thus guaranteeing the loss of thousands of jobs and the permanent dislocation of the deepwater drilling fleet to foreign shores.

Three deepwater drilling rigs to be moved from sites south of Cameron Parish

Anadarko Petroleum Corp. announced that it is shutting down three exploratory drilling rigs in the deepwater Gulf, all off the Louisiana coast, and assured shareholders that it would move its operations “from the Gulf to other areas of our global portfolio” so it could meet annual production goals.

The announcement seemed to confirm fears among some shipbuilders and vessel operators that Obama’s six-month stoppage could effectively shut down their work for at least two years and force immediate layoffs. Chett Chaisson, executive director of Port Fourchon, said at least two port tenants, who declined to be named, are poised to announce layoffs, although none have been confirmed as of late Monday.

Oh, and this really gets me…

For his part, Obama tried to reassure Louisiana businesses that he is aware of the economic pain they are enduring. He said the Small Business Administration is ready to provide bridge loans and the Department of Commerce will help document damages for BP to pay. He said he’s confident the local industries will survive.

“They’ve gone through all kinds of stuff the last 50, 100 years, and they bounce back, and they’re going to bounce back this time,” the president said in a press briefing Monday. “They’re going to need help from the entire country. They’re going to need constant vigil and attention from this administration, and that’s what they’re going to get.”

That’s of little consolation to [marine transportation executive Paul] Candies, who, like many others in South Louisiana, doubts Obama shares his interests.

“I don’t think he has a clue,” Candies said. “It doesn’t take a guy with a lot of imagination to think about the 10,000-plus jobs that could dry up here.”

Mr. Obama, I don’t want an SBA loan. I don’t have a claim against BP. I don’t want help from the entire country. I don’t need or want your constant vigil and attention.

I just want you to go back to Chicago and stop “fixing” things.