On Thursday evening, President Obama tried to reassure Americans that the federal government was fully in control of the response to BP's oil blowout in the Gulf of Mexico. His White House news conference was, in essence, an attempt to take ownership of the crisis, to show that his administration -- and not a British oil company -- was in charge of protecting the country's people and environment. "Make no mistake: BP is operating at our direction," Obama said. "Every key decision and action they take must be approved by us in advance."
On Friday, in a visit to coastal Louisiana, Obama faced a different challenge: to show empathy for furious and distressed residents and to demonstrate that he was taking them, and their local officials, seriously. Standing near the water's edge on Grand Isle, in front of a phalanx of governors, mayors and parish presidents, Obama delivered remarks studded with terms from the lexicon of fear and distrust that has become a permanent fixture of the post-Katrina Gulf Coast.
"I know you've weathered your fair share of trials and tragedy," the president said. "I'm here to tell you you're not alone. You will not be abandoned. You will not be left behind."
He also addressed an issue that has been the source of frustration in the rural fishing communities of southeastern Louisiana for weeks: the slow federal response to a controversial proposal put forward by Gov. Bobby Jindal and a group of parish presidents, calling for the construction of a series of artificial barrier islands in the Gulf to protect the wetlands and marshes from incoming oil. Noting that a portion of the plan has been approved, Obama said that he is "considering every single idea out there, especially from folks who know these communities best."
The president’s itinerary did not include any significant time spent meeting with ordinary citizens whose lives have been turned upside down in the past month. It's doubtful that his brief visit and televised remarks will be enough to mollify the increasingly angry victims of this disaster.
Meanwhile, as Obama was speaking, reports emerged that BP had for the second time in two days suspended its "top kill" and "junk shot" procedures, which currently represent the best chance of stemming the flow of oil from the undersea well.
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Related Links:
BP Oil Spill: Chemical Dispersants Threaten Gulf (The Fiscal Times)
BP Oil Spill: Worst in History; Scientists Weigh In (The Fiscal Times)
