Let's presume that the worst is about to happen in the Gulf of Mexico. Not only will BP and the U.S. Federal government fail to stem the flow of oil from the broken well... the flow of oil will continue indefinitely and increase in flow rate. What then?
Think about it. Oil is lighter than water. The well is broken. Capping hasn't worked. Everyone is playing Blind Man's Bluff. The Gulf of Mexico is about to become the Gulf of Oil. What's a world to do?
First oil floats for the most part. So quit playing politics and move those supertankers out to sea and start sucking up the free oil floating around.
Secondly, take the oil that is separated from the water to coastal storage and refineries. Cancel shipments of oil from the Middle East or wherever. Process the oil to make room for more.
Thirdly, repeats steps one and two.
Don't make excuses about not knowing what to do. Address the issues at hand while you figure out if you can address the basic problem. If you can't solve the basic problem of a broken well, then take advantage of the problem to get all of the oil you can without drilling for more. Make lemonade.
If all a leader can do is talk about how difficult the problems are, he is not a leader at all. Leaders mobilize their resources to accomplish what needs to be done.
Reagan didn't tell Gorbachev, "Your wall is looking a bit ragged; you should do something."