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"The tragedy unfolding on our coast is the most painful and powerful reminder yet that the time to embrace a clean energy future is now," he said. "I say we can't afford not to change how we produce and use energy
-- because the long-term costs to our economy, our national security, and our environment are far greater." Also, Obama announced that former Mississippi Gov. Ray Mabus will develop a long-term Gulf Coast Restoration Plan
-- to be funded by BP -- in concert with local communities. Obama's forceful tone about BP's behavior shows how far matters have deteriorated. The White House once had described BP as an essential partner in plugging the crude oil spewing from the broken well beneath nearly a mile of water. Now Obama says BP has threatened to destroy a whole way of life. "I refuse to let that happen," Obama said in his televised address. Yet even as Obama pledged not to rest until the Gulf Coast region is restored, he didn't detail exactly how he would keep that promise. Meanwhile, the frantic effort to stop the leak and contain the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history plods on. So does the venting and search for answers on Capitol Hill, with three more congressional hearings set for Wednesday. The president is straddling a line. He must show he is a leader not a shouter, yet also one who can relate and respond to the intense emotion of this catastrophe. And public confidence is slipping with every day the oily mess keeps pluming away. An Associated Press-GfK poll released Tuesday showed 52 percent now disapprove of Obama's handling of the oil spill, up significantly from last month. Most people
-- 56 percent -- think the government's actions in response to the disaster really haven't had any impact on the situation. Obama's Oval Office address was the most prominent sign yet that the oil spill response has become his agenda; everything else must compete for his time. He managed to use the forum to extensively plug his effort for a massive clean-energy bill. Already forgotten was that Obama wasn't supposed to be in the White House on Tuesday night but rather in Indonesia as part of his outreach to the Muslim world. He scrapped that trip to deal with this crisis, using his time to tour the Gulf cleanup once again, address the nation and call in BP officials for direct talks. The damages are huge. A government panel of scientists now says the well is spewing even more oil than previously thought. The total spilled so far could be as much as 116 million gallons.
[Associated
Press;
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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