Obama strikes back at critics who say his recent actions have been "too cerebral."
Obama told NBC’s “Today Show” in an interview that is scheduled to air Tuesday that he was “down there a month ago, before more of these talking heads were even paying attention to the Gulf. A month ago I was meeting with fishermen down there, standing in the rain talking about what a potential crisis this could be.”
According to CNN, many critics have accused Obama of being too cerebral in his reaction to the oil spill that is ruining the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. They have also said that he put too much trust in BP to handle the crisis. Obama defended himself by telling NBC that his actions were more than just ideas and potential plans.
A brown pelican, in the background, and another bird are mired in oil on the beach at East Grand Terre Island along the Louisiana coast on Thursday, June 3, 2010. Oil from the Deepwater Horizon has affected wildlife throughout the Gulf of Mexico. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
“I don’t sit around talking to experts because this is a college seminar,” Obama said about speaking to officials about different ways to stop the spill and control the disaster. “We talk to these folks because they potentially have the best answers, so I know whose ass to kick.”
The gusher was uncorked by an explosion aboard oil rig Deepwater Horizon on April 20. The explosion killed 11 workers. Estimates of the amount of oil spewing into the gulf grew rapidly the following week and continue to grow at high rates.
Obama visited the Coast Guard command center in Venice, Louisiana on May 2, warning then that it may take many days to solve the problem.
»CNN: Obama looking for 'whose ass to kick'
»Newser: Obama weighing 'whose ass to kick'
»Politico: Obama seeking "ass to kick" over spill
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