Strain Shows as White House Responds to Spill

[Geee]

Politico:

Strain shows as White House responds to spill

By GLENN THRUSH & CAROL E. LEE | 5/24/10 8:57 PM EDT

“My assessment is, at this point this is a national disaster,” Honore said. “This could be a generational impact on the Gulf.”

But back at the White House, Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen, the man in charge of the U.S. response, shot down the idea of a federal takeover of the crisis — walking back Salazar’s threat over the weekend to “push out” BP if it doesn’t cap the well quickly.

“To push BP out of the way, it would raise the question, to replace them with what?” Allen asked. “They’re exhausting every technical means possible to deal with that leak. ... I am satisfied with the coordination that’s going on. ... There’s no reason to make a change.”

Even though Obama has criticized the government’s relationship with BP as too “cozy” over the years, Allen refused to blast embattled BP CEO Tony Hayward. “I judge personally my communications with anybody, including Tony Hayward, and I would characterize when I tell him something, he says he understands it; he follows up,” he said.

The real problem, Allen said, is that only big oil companies — and not the federal government — have the capacity to fight a broken pipe a mile under water.

Allen’s appearance came as the administration moved to counter negative perceptions of its response, even as BP’s effort to cap the gushing mile-deep pipe foundered and the company tangled with the Environmental Protection Agency over the use of chemical dispersants to break up the spill.

Obama held a briefing call Monday morning with the four Gulf Coast governors to offer a status update and underscore his personal commitment to the issue.

“I think what the president wanted to indicate today was that he is on it, which is reassuring, but we all need to stay on it, and I think that’s very important,” said Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who is running for Senate this fall as an independent. “I think that part of being on the call was, in some sense, a response to what was happening in Louisiana.”

Gibbs told reporters there are currently no plans for Obama to return to the Gulf Coast — but his itinerary could quickly change later this week, after the president flies to California in support of Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer on Tuesday, another White House official later said.

[Valin]

Strain shows as White House responds to spill

 

They might consider doing something about it, other than blame everyone under the sun.

 

 

 

 

Just a thought