Furious Obama

Determined to try to project both command and compassion, President Barack Obama is returning to the Louisiana coast for a fresh reality check on work to stanch the oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico and the spiraling effects of the nation's worst environmental disaster... this month. The president underscored the mounting political implications by abruptly canceling plans for a trip to Indonesia and Australia later this month. I think he's canceled on them about eighteen times now.

Addressing a crisis that threatens to undermine his presidency, Obama spoke for many Thursday in declaring himself furious at a situation that "is imperiling an entire way of life and an entire region for potentially years." Friday's trip will be his second to the Gulf in eight days, answering critics in both parties who suggest he has seemed detached from the crisis.

Polls show the public growing more negative toward the president's handling of the spill.

Which, is totally fair, since one of the major talking points to get elected was Bush's handling of Katrina. Figuring out command structure and complicated problems isn't as easy as he thought, I guess?