Obama Meets With Families of Oil Rig Workers

Family members said it was a respectful and comforting meeting, rather than solemn or morose. Obama spent nearly an hour privately offering his condolences to family members of 10 of the 11 workers killed in the blast. In the Red Room and State Dining Room, he shook hands and took photos, including one with Jones’s 4-week-old grandson, who was born shortly after the blast.

“He went from table to table, meeting with each family,” Jones said. “He stayed with each family as long as it took to say what they needed to say to him.” More at Politico

From the White House:

In the Red Room and the State Dining Room, the President had individual discussions with family members of the victims of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster. He was joined by Secretary Ken Salazar, Carol Browner, Valerie Jarrett and Admiral Thad Allen.

The President expressed his condolences and told them that he, the First Lady and the entire administration are behind them and will be there long after the cameras are gone as they go through their unimaginable grief. He also said that while offshore drilling is a part of our nation’s overall energy strategy, he simply could not go forward with new deepwater drilling until we have the proper safety measures in place to ensure that a tragedy like this never happens again.