US President Barack Obama visited Louisiana on Sunday to rally faltering efforts to protect its vulnerable shores from a giant oil slick threatening environmental and economic catastrophe.Obama gave Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal a reassuring hug on the rainswept New Orleans tarmac before they sped off to Venice, a small fishing village two hours drive away on the coast that has become a hub for the response effort. There, Obama was expected to defend accusations his administration was slow to respond to the crisis and get a glimpse of a massive operation involving everyone from oil industry experts to local fishermen drafted in to help. The latest government data showed the thickest part of the rectangular 130-mile by 70-mile slick has been turned northward by strong southerly winds, sending sheen lapping ashore on the remote Chandeleur Islands. The chain of uninhabited islets in eastern Louisiana is prime marsh and wildlife area, but officials said confirmation of any oil washing ashore would not be known until overflights could be conducted. An overflight may not be possible for some time as blustery winds and high seas kept planes grounded and forced skimming vessels to abandon missions to mop up the growing slick for a third straight day. Louisiana accounts for an estimated one-third of the country's total oyster output, and the Gulf of Mexico are prime spawning waters for fish, shrimp and crabs, as well as a major stop for migratory birds. There was, however, a ray of light from BP's head of US operations, Lamar McKay, who suggested that a giant dome could be deployed as early as next week to try and contain the spill.
