Talking Heads

Conservatives Dub Spill ‘Obama’s Katrina’

Others say it’s too soon to call the political effects.

The fall-out begins. While conservatives like Rush Limbaugh and Matt Drudge are already referring to the Gulf oil spill as “Obama’s Katrina,” the jury is still out on the president’s handling of the sudden environmental crisis, according to experts. "Whether or not it becomes Obama's Katrina depends on what happens when the little ducklings covered with black tar start showing up on CNN," said Republican strategist Rich Galen. For his part, the president has been careful to publicize federal action taken in response to the emergency, and White House spokesman Robert Gibbs dismissed the critiques, saying, "We were there... right after the incident happened. This notion that somehow we're playing catch-up is badly uninformed." The comparison has become a pet topic of media, as pundits debate the possible political repercussions of the disaster.