Former First Lady Laura Bush Says Obama's Administration is Doing All It Can on BP Oil Spill
Bush: "They're doing everything they can ... just like we did with Katrina."
June 4, 2010 — -- It's easy to cast blame about President Obama's response to the BP oil spill disaster in the Gulf, but former first lady Laura Bush believes he's doing all he can to halt the growing catastrophe.
"I think they're doing everything they can do. Absolutely. Just like we did with [Hurricane] Katrina," Bush, 63, told "Good Morning America" anchor Robin Roberts in an interview taped Wednesday that aired today. "You know, it's not one person's responsibility. The president can't do every single thing there is to do."
The economic and ecological devastation caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion off the coast of Louisiana in April has been called Obama's Katrina -- in reference to the deadly hurricane that devastated southern Louisiana and other Gulf Coast states in August 2005.
President George W. Bush's administration was harshly criticized for perceived inadequate preparation before the hurricane and mishandling its response to the storm's devastating effects. Obama's administration is facing mounting criticism from those who say it hasn't done enough to stem the continuous flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.
Oil giant BP was leasing the rig. The company has made several unsuccessful attempts to plug the gushing well.
The former first lady said finger-pointing was counterproductive.
"This obviously was a terrible, tragic accident. Eleven people died ... I don't think it serves to try to point fingers and make it be somebody's fault," she said of the disaster, now the worst oil spill in United States history. "I think what we should do is all come together and do every single thing we can to make sure ... the well is capped."
She added that the disaster highlighted the danger of "technology getting ahead of our capacity to handle a mishap."
On Thursday, Bush and her mother-in-law, former first lady Barbara Bush, each were presented the Beacon of Hope award by Covenant House in recognition of their work that included the promotion of youth literacy. Covenant House is a national organization that helps homeless and abused youth.
The awards were presented by the first lady's daughter, Barbara, who herself has co-founded a nonprofit organization, Global Health Corps, to recruit the next generation of leaders in global health. She is a member of Covenant House's board of directors.
