Obama would have fired BP chief

US President Barack Obama said that he would have fired BP CEO Tony Hayward for remarks downplaying the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

US President Barack Obama said today that he would have fired BP CEO Tony Hayward for remarks downplaying the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill,including a much-publicised whine that he would like my life back. He wouldnt be working for me after making any of those statements, Obama said on the NBC Today Show programme.

Hayward was roundly criticised for recent complaints about the amount of time he has spent dealing with the spill,and for discounting the environmental impact of the spill,which he said was likely to be very,very modest. The BP executive has since apologised for those remarks.

Obama also said that he had not spoken to Hayward since the disaster began more than a month and a half ago.

I havent spoken to him directly, Obama said.

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When you talk to a guy like a BP CEO,hes going to say all the right things to me. Im not interested in words. Im interested in actions. In an interview in which he allowed himself to show a bit more than the customary feistiness,Obama today rejected criticism that he has not been tough enough in responding to the Gulf oil spill,and vowed to find out whose ass to kick in making sure those responsible are held to account.

Im going to push back hard on this because I think that this is an idea that got into folks heads and the media is running with it, Obama said,referring to the criticism.