Obama in Gulf: ‘The buck stops with me’

President Barack Obama again took personal responsibility for recovery
efforts in the Gulf of Mexico on Friday and pledged to affected residents
that they “will not be left behind.”

Obama, speaking to reporters in Louisiana on his second trip to the
region since the oil leak began almost 40 days ago, called the spill
and environmental damage “an assault on our shores, our people, our
regional economies and on communities like this one.”

{mosads}And he announced that he has called for the tripling of manpower and
resources in communities where oil has already hit the shore or within
24 hours of it doing so.

“I am here to tell you that you’re not alone,” Obama said. “You will
not be abandoned. You will not be left behind.”

He added: “The media might get tired of this story, but we will not.”

Obama’s visit comes as officials and residents are waiting to learn
whether BP’s so-called “top kill” approach to stop the leak will halt
the flow.

“If it is successful, it would obviously be welcome news,” Obama said.
“If it’s not, a team of some of the world’s top scientists, engineers
and experts, led by our energy secretary and Nobel Prize-winning
physicist, Steven Chu, has … for some time been exploring any and all
reasonable contingency plans.”

The president continued to try to mitigate the political fallout from
the disaster, touring the Gulf region and meeting with members of
Congress and governors from the area, all of whom received a briefing
from Adm. Thad Allen.

As he did on Thursday at a rare White House East Room press
conference, Obama shouldered the responsibility for the disaster
response.

“I ultimately take responsibility for solving this crisis,” Obama
said. “I’m the president, and the buck stops with me.”

The president warned that there will be disagreements within the
government over what should be done and “not every judgment we make is
going to be right the first time out.”

He said that “sometimes there are going to be risks and unintended
consequences.”

“In other words, there are going to be a lot of judgment calls
involved here,” Obama said. “There are not going to be any silver
bullets or perfect answers for the challenges we face.”

Regardless of the outcome of the top-kill approach, Obama said, “our
response will continue with its full force.”

“Because even if the leak was stopped today, it wouldn’t change the
fact that these waters still contain oil from what is now the largest
spill in American history, and more of it will come ashore,” the
president said.

Obama said he has made it clear to Allen that he will have at his
disposal whatever resources he needs to get the job done.

“Whatever he needs, he will get,” Obama said.

Obama also sought to comfort Gulf Coast residents who might feel as
though they face disasters like Hurricane Katrina and the oil spill
alone.

The president was scheduled to return to Chicago, where he and his
family are enjoying a Memorial Day weekend vacation.