Rove As President Obama prepares to return to the Gulf Coast Friday, he is receiving increasing criticism for his handling of the oil spill.

For good reason: Since the Deepwater Horizon rig blew up on April 20, a lethargic Team Obama has delayed or blown off key decisions requested by state and local govern- ments and left British Petroleum in charge of developing a plan to cap the massive leak.

Now the slow-moving oil spill threatens Obama’s reputation, along with 40 percent of America’s sensitive wetlands. Critics include some of his most ardent cheerleaders, who understand that 38 days without an administration solution is unacceptable.

Obama officials have it backwards: They talk tough about BP’s responsibilities but do not meet their own responsibilities under federal law. They should not have let more than a month go by without telling BP what to do. And they should avoid recriminations against their partner in solving the problem until after the leak is sealed. Ken Salazar sounds whiney when he rails against BP.

Initially, Team Obama wanted to keep this problem away from the president (a natural instinct for any White House). It took Obama 12 days to show up in the region. Democrats criticized President George W. Bush for waiting four days after Katrina to go to New Orleans.

Now the administration is intent on making it appear he has engaged all along. But this stance is undermined by lack of action.

Take the containment strategy of barrier berms. These temporary sand islands block the flow of oil into fragile wetlands and marshes. Berm construction requires approval from the Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Louisiana officials asked permission on May 11. They have yet to hear back.

On May 8, Louisiana sent a letter to BP and the EPA begging BP not to use dispersants below the surface of the water. Subsurface use of dispersants keeps oil slicks from forming. But when it doesn’t come to the surface to evaporate, the oil lingers below, gets into underwater currents, and puts at risk fisheries.

On May 13, EPA overruled the state and permitted BP to use dispersants 4,000 feet below the surface. Then, a week after BP released 55,000 gallons of dispersants below the surface, EPA did an aboutface, ordering BP to stop using the dispersant.

As winds and currents just days ago drove oil towards sensitive wetlands, the state asked Washington to mobilize all available boats to deploy booms and containment devices. Federal officials didn’t act. Local officials were forced to commandeer the boats.

Could this be Obama’s Katrina? The federal response to Katrina was governed by the 1988 Stafford Act, which says that in natural disasters on-shore states are in charge.

Karl Rove is former senior advisor to President George W. Bush.