(CNN) – Legally, President Barack Obama can effectively fire BP and have the federal government take over efforts to stop the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The question is whether that would help the situation.
No one argues that the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 gives Obama the authority to take over all efforts to plug the gushing well 5,000 feet beneath the surface. However, officials of oil giant BP, while acknowledging their failure so far to stop the leak, say no one – even the U.S. government – can match their company's know-how and technology in such a crisis.
So, what are military officials saying? Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr joined us on Thursday's American Morning with the latest.