Kneeling to pick up tar balls on an oil-fouled beach and listening to “heartbreaking stories” of loss, President Obama personally confronted the spreading damage wrought by the crude gushing into the Gulf of Mexico.
Breaking off from his three-day, Memorial Day weekend in his home city of Chicago, President barack Obama flew early Friday to the Mississippi delta, where fragile wetlands and nature preserves have become coated with crude oil since the April 20, 2010 Deepwater Horizon rig disaster.
Obama visited Port Fourchon, La. and Grand Isle La., but did get up close to any residents.
“This is something that has to be dealt with immediately … not some time later”, said President Barack Obama in a television appearance.
“There is no change happening.”
— Julie McNeil, Grand Isle resident and wife of fisherman
McNeil put up a banner for the president that said “Welcome to Grand Oil” (instead of Grand Isle).
Other banners …
“BP Sucks”
“Save Our Marshes”