Gulf Zogby: Oil Spill Hurts Obama

Pollster John Zogby updates our weekly Obama Report Card with a grade on the president's performance. Zogby uses his polling, expert analysis, and interaction with major players to come up with a grade and some comments that capture how he see's the president's week ending.

John Zogby on Week 71:

"Headlines about the BP oil spill may be staining the president. Telling his people to 'Plug the damn hole. Just get it done,' won't make it happen. Obama is caught between looking disengaged or assuming control of a disaster he may have no ability to resolve. Below the fold are other unwanted and intransigent issues. What action should we take against North Korea? Is there any way out of a worsening Afghanistan military operation? How much will uber jitters about the Euro upset both the U.S. and global economies? Why has it been so difficult to keep a campaign promise to end 'don't ask, don't tell?'. The course gets harder, and the president's grade falls to a C."

This week's grade: C

Last week's: B

John Zogby is president and CEO of Zogby International, a public opinion, research, and business solutions firm with experience working in more than 70 countries around the globe. Founded and led by Zogby since 1984, Zogby International specializes in telephone, Internet, and face-to-face survey research and analysis for corporate, political, nonprofit, and governmental clients. The firm is headquartered in Utica, N.Y. John Zogby is also the author of The Way Well Be: The Zogby Report on the Transformation of the American Dream (Random House).