Dems Start Ripping Obama’s Oil Spill Response

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Two Daughters of Louisiana Criticize Obama Administration

Cokie Roberts and Donna Brazile on the “This Week” roundtable. “The oil is gushing and we’re being lied to by how much oil is gushing…and the administration has now named a commission,” Cokie Roberts said derisively. “Now this is what you do when you really don’t have anything else to do: you name a commission,” she said. “That’s not going to stop the oil.”

“One of the problems I have with the [Obama] administration is that they’re not tough enough,” Brazile said. “They are waiting for BP to say, ‘oh we have a new plan to stop the oil leak.’ They need to stop it, contain it, clean it up and try and help us conserve our coastal wetlands,” Brazile said.

James Carville, Chris Matthews Rip White House on BP Response

Matthews, speaking during an appearance with Jay Leno on NBC's "Tonight Show," said Obama's response "scares me. He's been acting a little like a Vatican Observer here. When is he actually going to do something?"

Carville, one of the President Bush's harshest critics in the wake of the 2005 hurricane that decimated New Orleans, called Obama's response "lackadaisical."

"They are risking everything by this 'go along with BP' strategy they have that seems like, lackadaisical on this," Carville told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Friday. "They seem like they're inconvenienced by this, this is some giant thing getting in their way and somehow or another, if you let BP handle it, it'll all go away. It's not going away. It's growing out there. It is a disaster of the first magnitude, and they've got to go to Plan B."

He also said the White House needs to get tougher with BP.

"I think they actually believe that BP has some kind of a good motivation here," he said. "They're naive! BP is trying to save money, save everything they can... They won't tell us anything, and oddly enough, the government seems to be going along with it! Somebody has got to, like shake them and say, 'These people don't wish you well! They're going to take you down!'"

Tom Friedman on Gulf Oil Crisis: 'Obama Is Approaching This Problem Like Everyday Taking a Poll Hour by Hour'

Tom Friedman: "Do we have a long term solution, right now you mentioned Steve Chu, Obama's got an amazing all star team...They're in the witness protection program, have you seen any of these people? I haven't, you have a sense that Obama's approaching this problem like everyday taking a poll hour by hour, I did not support this guy to read polls, I supported him to change polls.

Kirsten Powers: Obama Administration's Response to Gulf Oil Spill 'Is Not About Campaign Donations, It's About Incompetence'