Feds step up role in battle against oil leak

Why wasn't Obama leading from the start?

Frustration with the pace of recovery from the Deepwater Horizon disaster spiked Sunday as oil continued washing into sensitive marshlands and the schedule for the next attempt at stopping the spill slipped to midweek.

“We are 33 days into this effort and deadline after deadline has been missed,” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in front of BP's U.S. headquarters in Houston on Sunday.

He said he had no doubt the company was “throwing everything at the problem to try and resolve it,” but added:

“Do I have confidence they know exactly what they're doing? No, not completely.”

Federal officials have been part of the spill response and well-capping efforts from its earliest days, but the pace of involvement is stepping up.