Obama May Have Boxed Himself Into a Corner

President Obama sought to reassure the public today that the White House has been on top of the oil spill from the get-go. Some early reaction to his news conference:

• Brian Wingfield, Forbes: "The public outcry over the disaster has left the administration little choice but to take ownership of resolving it, but in doing so the White House has also boxed itself into a corner. For every day the disaster and the cleanup efforts continue, the administration is squarely on the hook. ... Until the leak is plugged, expect (public) outrage to grow in proportion to the amount of oil in the Gulf of Mexico." Also, watch those predictions. Remember "Mission Accomplished"?

• Gus Lubin, Business Insider: Obama says it's been a priority from day one. "But here's the catch. For him to make that claim, Obama is forced to claim authority over the BP response from the start—saying he could have stepped in at any time. That means defending everything BP has done." This won't "go over well with a furious nation" or "Democrats in Congress who have pummeled BP."
• Chris Cillizza, Washington Post: Obama argued that the US is in control on strategy but needs BP's technological expertise. "It's a nuanced argument to make and a distinction that Obama has to hope average Americans understand."