President Obama held his first press conference in ten months, although it was the thirteenth of his Presidency.

Criticism has been growing because of the size of the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, having sprung after an explosion on the oil rig Deepwater Horizon.  It has since been discovered from eye witness testimony of the survivors, that BP had ordered the use of sea water instead of the usual method of mud to cover the well.  It was also discovered that the blowout preventer installed was a cheaper, riskier version with no redundancy, and a missing battery.

President Obama first made it clear that the government was in charge from the beginning, arguing that every major decision must be approved by them before BP is allowed to proceed.  He said that BP was responsible and would be held accountable, adding that the government would be there to help rebuild the devastated economy and environment of the Gulf.  He also took some time to push the green energy bill that has already passed the House, although stalled in the Senate, as a way to help move us away from an entirely oil based economy and bolster the gulf region's economy by investing in green energy.

Personally I've found the criticism of the President not being engaged enough to be nothing but cheap political attacks, and when asked today about the image of his administration today he defended himself saying that those who think that don't know the facts.  Coast Guard Admiral, Thad Allen is in charge of the response to the disaster and not BP, who holds the expertize and technology according to the President.  The way I look at it is that the administration is going about it the scientific way, based on the evidence and expertize on the ground and the resources they have available.  On the flip side we have people like the Governor Louisiana, Bobby Jindal foaming at the mouth on TV everyday trying to look as angry and concerned as possible, demanding that permission be given to develop barrier islands in the Gulf to protect their beaches and wetlands from the oil.  The problem being that the experts are saying it would take nine months to do, effectively making it a worthless exercise as a response to this disaster. 

People certainly aren't at fault for being angry, but knee jerk reactions don't help with clear thinking and objective criticism.  The President said that one of the key questions going forward is whether or not the Federal government should develop its own capabilities for dealing with future oil disasters.  He already decided to break up the Minerals Management Service (MMS) agency in charge of both policing the offshore oil and gas industry, as well as collecting fees for leasing space for drilling.  In fact, the director of the MMS agency, Elizabeth Birnbaum was let go today amid the storm of criticism surrounding the cozy ties between the regulators and the oil industry. 

For the President's part he stood by his previous approach to offshore oil drilling saying that it is an important part of the economy for growth and jobs, as well as an important part of the transitional plan to move to greener energy.  Whether or not the 'top kill' approach to seal the leak works, or we have to wait until the other two wells are completed to relieve the pressure permanently, it's clear that it's time to get serious about having real regulations for safety and effective enforcement.  We can still make money while being responsible.

Watch the press conference below: