For 10 days after the rig sank, BP assured the White House they had the well under control

[charlesg]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704596504575272204190805766.html

MAY 29, 2010
Frustration, Fury Greet Obama in Gulf
By JONATHAN WEISMAN And LAURA MECKLER

When Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen saw plumes of fire shooting from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig on April 20, he knew oil would eventually start gushing into the Gulf of Mexico, he said in an interview.

But it wasn't until 10 days later that White House energy czar Carol Browner concluded that a serious situation was becoming a major disaster. BP PLC had assured her, she said in an interview, that a blow-out preventer atop the well could be used to stanch the gusher.

On April 30, she learned that wasn't so, she said.

A BP official said Friday that the device is designed to be activated by remotely operated submarines if it isn't triggered automatically. For at least the first week, that was the focus of efforts to stop the flow of oil.

To foes and even some friends, the White House has appeared reactive to what is now the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Until Thursday, President Barack Obama, while responding to developments, had refrained from making dramatic policy gestures...

[Avalux]

1. Criminal charges NOW. Money, NOW.

Take their money, hire all the unemployed people in the US to go to the gulf and clean up the mess.

[johnaries]

2. This helps disprove the whole "Obama Katrina" meme.

First of all, we all watched Hurricane Katrina as it moved toward NOLA. We had plenty of warning. We even had a carrier follow the hurricane which was just awaiting orders to provide aid. Orders which never came.

Deepwater Horizon was NOT supposed to happen. There was no warning. When it happened, the true extent of the problem was covered up. Regardless, as soon as it happened the Obama administration responded immediately.

Is this Obama's Katrina? There is no comparison.

That being said, we cannot afford to allow such a catastrophe to occur again. We need stricter regulations.

We need stricter regulations