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United States News Title: Obama seeks to take charge of BP disaster PENSACOLA, Fla. - President Barack Obama prepared to address the nation Tuesday with an "I'm in charge" message as a blown-out BP well deep in the Gulf of Mexico gushed crude oil for a 57th day, creating an unprecedented environmental and economic disaster. Obama's speech from the Oval Office comes as a new poll shows a majority of Americans disapprove of how he has handled the Gulf disaster, though far more blame BP for what people call a sluggish two-month response. On Capitol Hill, executives from other major oil companies turned on BP and defended their own drilling practices during a congressional hearing as they sought to stave off new government regulations in the wake of the spill. Obama began the day in Pensacola, where he inspected the famous white sand beaches and met with local officials before heading back to the White House to deliver the first televised Oval Office message of his presidency. The president walked along Pensacola Beach with Gov. Charlie Crist and Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen. People were swimming in the emerald green water. But oil is nearby even if it can't be seen, according to Allen. Onlookers chanted "Save our beach, save our beach." Later, in a speech at Pensacola Naval Air Station, Obama said he will do "whatever it takes, for as long as it takes" to help Gulf residents and businesses recover from the spill. "I am with you, my administration is with you for the long haul to make sure BP pays for the damage it has caused," he said. An Associated Press-GfK poll released Tuesday found that 52 percent say they don't approve of Obama's handling of the spill, a shift from last month when a big chunk of people withheld judgment. But Obama's overall job performance rating didn't take a hit; it stayed virtually the same at 50 percent. Some 83 percent disapprove of BP's performance in the aftermath of the April 20 rig explosion, according to the poll. Obama's prime-time address sets the stage for his showdown White House meeting Wednesday with top executives at British-based, BP, the company that leased the rig that exploded April 20, killing 11 workers and causing the catastrophic spill. Obama's spokesman, Robert Gibbs, said the president is poised to seize the handling of damage claims from BP, if necessary. Gibbs told television news shows: "We have to get an independent claims process. I think everyone agrees that we have to get BP out of the claims processes and, as I said, make sure that fishermen, hotel owners have a fast, efficient and transparent claims process so that they're getting their livelihoods replaced." He noted in one interview that Obama "has the legal authority" to make the claims process independent. And Gibbs said "the best way to prevail upon BP is to take the claims process away from BP." Obama was also expected to say that the spill underscores the need for the United States to end its dependence on oil and move to "clean energy." BP said a small fire believed caused by lightning shut down a system capturing oil from the gushing well on Tuesday. The fire on the drilling ship Discoverer Enterprise was quickly extinguished, the company said, and as precaution, a system siphoning oil from a containment cap above the well was shut-down. The oil capture operation was able to resume later on Tuesday. BP also announced Tuesday that it has approved the first payments on 90 percent of large commercial claims to cover financial losses from the spill. Payments of $16 million to businesses "began over the weekend and will be completed this week," the company said in a statement. Message of hope As he toured the region on Monday, Obama delivered a message of hope and sought to show he was leading a winning battle against the raging oil spill. During stops in Alabama and Mississippi, Obama assured Gulf residents and businesses that the region's beaches will be restored to their "pristine condition" even as he promised he was bringing the full force of his government to get BP to pay damage claims in the country's worst environmental disaster. The oil gusher a mile deep in the Gulf, which the U.S. government does not have the technology to stop, has forced Obama and the federal government to rely on BP for an eventual fix. That isn't likely to happen until a relief well penetrates the blowout in a couple of months. As he took the microphone in Theodore, Ala., on Monday afternoon, Obama likely was previewing what he would tell the country at large from the Oval Office on Tuesday evening. "I can't promise folks here in Theodore or across the Gulf that this oil will be cleaned up overnight," the president said. Yet he offered assurances that the "full resources of our government are being mobilized to confront this disaster." Obama also told the country that seafood from the region remained safe to eat, and implored holiday-makers not to cancel visits to the Gulf coast where many of the famous white beaches remain untouched. But oil from the blown out BP well is spoiling significant parts of the shoreline and already has penetrated into critical breeding grounds for wildlife, waterfowl and sea creatures — in particular shrimp and oysters. The shell fish are a mainstay of some of the Gulf state economies.
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