it could be under the microscope for months, how the white house manages it. on the ground on the gulf coast, a rain-soaked president obama defended his handling of an oil spill that s spreading. from day one, we have prepared and planned for the worse even as we hoped for the best. reporter: it was a response to the high octane blame game revving up in washington. this incident occurred on april the 20th. it wasn t until april the 28th until the administration fully deployed federal resources. reporter: republicans have zeroed in on the spill timeline. b.p. oil rig exploded on april 20th. three days later, the coast guard says no oil was leaking from the well. the next day, the coast guard revealed oil actually was saeping out. on the 29th, the department of homeland security designated the spill of national significance. that same day, a coast guard official referred to b.p. as a partner in the crisis and then corrected herself. given the professionism of