It may have taken over a month, but media outlets are finally beginning to point some accusatory fingers at Barack Obama for his deplorable handling of the Gulf oil spill.
On Monday, WCBS-TV in New York actually asked the question, "Could the oil spill in the Gulf become for President Barack Obama what Hurricane Katrina became for President Bush?"
Reporter Marcia Kramer surprisingly answered, "Some in our area think so."
She then interviewed New Yorkers with negative views of how the man currently residing in the White House has handled this crisis (video available here, partial transcript and commentary follow, h/t PoliJAM):
STATEN ISLAND RESIDENT JULIO ROSADO: Just like Bush was remembered for Katrina, he's going to be remembered for this, for the oil spill.
BROOKLYN RESIDENT RAQUEL MANNING: It's been over a month already, like somebody should have stepped in by now to clean it up so that all these fish and wildlife don't die from it.
MERRICK RESIDENT STEVE VARGAS: It's like Bush's Katrina, sure. I think so, because it's going to have a real big lasting effect on us all.
MARCIA KRAMER WCBS: Oil now stains at least 53 miles of coastal Louisiana and more wildlife is dying, so President Obama knows he has a political crisis in the making. Today he sent Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to the area - her fourth visit - to highlight what the administration is doing.
JANET NAPOLITANO: This is the largest incident response to an oil spill ever in the history of the United States. We have over 22,000 personnel working this spill.
KRAMER: Officials made it clear today that BP, British Petroleum, is the responsible party and will be held accountable.
KEN SALAZAR, SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR: They will be held accountable. We will keep our boot on their neck.
KRAMER: But increasingly, members of the President's own party want him to do more than rely on BP.
REP. ED MARKEY (D-MASSACHUSETTS): If the defense department or NASA or CIA have technologies that can help, the should use them right now.
KRAMER: The response to the oil spill has environmentalists worried, worried about BP's response and worried about the government's response.
ELGIE HOLSTEIN, ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND: I think the problem this administration has had is that it was taken completely by surprise by this tragedy. And every day we seem to have a new solution and every day we have more disappointment.
KRAMER: Some blame the cozy relationship between government regulators and the oil industry they are supposed to police, saying new controls on the oil industry are needed.
WESLEY WARREN, NATIONAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL: This could also be the administration's 9/11 moment. 9/11 was when we realized that we had certain vulnerabilities, that it was time to address and fix once and for all.
KRAMER: The head of BP, Doug Suttles, said today that he shares the frustration of people that the spill still hasn't been plugged. But Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, who toured the area today, wasn't having any of it. He said to him, "BP" stands for "beyond patience."
Exit question: are we likely to see more of this kind of report as the crisis worsens that will indeed make this Obama's Katrina, or will the President's adoring media shelter him enough to prevent that from happening?
