This poll explains why Obama is talking tough on TV. The recent aggressive tone makes you wonder what the smartest people in the room at the White House have been thinking as the situation unraveled. How could they not have been in front of this problem? They only sound defensive and out of character at this point. Did their deep conversations with the experts convince them that somehow the oil would miraculously disappear? The White House messaging continues to be a flop and part of the problem. ABC News:
By more than a 2-to-1 margin, Americans support the pursuit of criminal charges in the nation's worst oil spill , with increasing numbers calling it a major environmental disaster. Eight in 10 criticize the way BP's handled it – and more people give the federal government's response a negative rating than did the response to Hurricane Katrina.
A month and a half after the spill began, 69 percent in a new ABC News/Washington Post poll rate the federal response negatively. That compares with a 62 negative rating for the response to Katrina two weeks after the August 2005 hurricane.
