Posted on 05/27/2010 1:58:24 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
President Obama assured the public that he is seizing the reins of the oil spill response in the Gulf of Mexico, saying Thursday that Washington is calling the shots even though it needs to rely on BP's expertise.
"I take responsibility. It is my job to make sure that everything is done to shut this down," Obama said.
Speaking at his first full-blown press conference since July, Obama rejected the notion that Washington has been sitting on the "sidelines." He said the response is "absolutely not" going perfectly and that he was "wrong" to believe oil companies "had their act together when it came to worst-case scenarios," but insisted his administration is committed to stopping the leak and controlling the damage.
"We are relying on every resource and every idea," he said Thursday. "We will take ideas from anywhere, but we are going to stop it."
The press conference comes as the White House battles the perception that it has not done enough to contain the damage from the gushing oil spill. The criticism has been mounting in recent days, particularly from lawmakers and political strategists typically aligned with the Obama White House.
The president took questions from 10 reporters at the press conference -- most of them dealt with the oil spill.
From the top, Obama called the leak his administration's "highest priority" and said the federal government is "in charge." He said anyone claiming otherwise doesn't know the facts.
"This entire White House and this federal government has been singularly focused on how do we stop the leak and how do we prevent and mitigate the damage to our coastlines," Obama said.
Obama said response teams are using the "best science" to plug the leak, but stressed that BP, not the federal government, has the "superior technology"
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Did the moron-in-chief really say that? What did he think they were planning to do before that- NOT plug the leak???
This is so much like "I am in charge here" that got Haig into so much trouble when RR was shot.
Obama’s response to the Gulf Oil Spill: another eighteen holes.
Good way to get reelected put your politic opponents like Barbour and Jindal in jail. This however does not sound or look like America then does it?
Those aren't holes, they are relief wells.
Looks like the Bamster waited until others were doing "everything that could be done" before waltzing in to take charge and the credit.
This is the biggest leak of his administration!
Stay tuned - I think Barry is in for a bigger fight than he expected from about 80% of America.
He just shot himself in the foot with that remark. That damn thing will not be killed until the other rigs drill down to the production zone and cement it up.
Because of the GOD DA-- EPA AND THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT.
Does each one count as a mulligan? ;-)
well.. thank goodness NOW they are in charge.
so... who was in charge for the first 35 days?
oh, and btw... nice response time reacting to that crisis, mr. _resident. i guess we know what will happen when that call comes in at 3am...
you’d let it go to voicemail and check it a month later.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.