The worst oil spill in American history is showing no signs of disappearing. As such, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill has been an unexpected assault experienced by Obama and BP. The initial support shown by a majority of Americans towards President Obama seems to have fallen through the floor. Opinion has shifter so far towards the negative that Obama is now being criticized by his own Democratic Party members.
The problem, as many are quick to point out, is Obama’s trust in expertise. The President tends to rely on a small close group of advisers as well as a broader group of experts to help him make decisions. In the Gulf incident, he is accused of believing BP when they presented an underwhelming estimation of the extent of the leak. Critics say that even an intern could have spotted that BP’s figures couldn’t be trusted. They also say that this inability to spot BP’s incompetency was the reason that federal resources were not mobilized fast enough.
Obama responded to critics with his usual rhetoric in weekly radio address. In it, he basically stated that the laws will be fixed, flaws will be patched up and the wrongdoers will be brought to justice. Nothing in the speech really inspires confidence in the President or his Party ahead of some very important elections. Unfortunately for Obama, he was caught wrong footed on this issue. He made a call, which he believed was right, based on the information available to him. Rectifying this will now be added to a long list of headaches that he has to get rid of while he is in the White House.