Obama Will Return to the Gulf Next Week
President Obama will spend next Monday and Tuesday in the Gulf, his fourth trip to the region facing worsening fallout from an oil spill that has now been spewing for 50 days.
The White House announced late this afternoon that Mr. Obama will spend June 14th and 15th in Mississippi, Alabama and Florida "to further assess the latest efforts to counter" the spill. Further details were not released.
The announcement of the president's latest trip comes as the White House has worked to project an image of outrage toward BP and the other companies tied to the environmental disaster.
In an interview last night, Mr. Obama said he would have fired BP's CEO over his comments (among them "I want my life back") and said he has been consulting with experts and fisherman about the spill "so I know whose ass to kick."
A recent CBS News poll suggests the American public does not approve of the administration's handling of the crisis. The White House, well aware of the lingering negative impressions of former President George W. Bush for his handling of Hurricane Katrina, has worked over the past week to look more engaged with the effort to deal with the spill. The president insistent Monday that his efforts around the spill are "not theater."
Mr. Obama met with business leaders and regional officials in Grand Isle, Louisiana on Friday. He will be meeting with families of the victims of the rig explosion later this week.