45 percent said they were in favor of more offshore drilling in the new poll, while 46 percent said the associated costs and risks are too great.
There is a significant political divide over this question, with most Republicans saying they favor further drilling, while most Democrats and independents did not.
Also, nobody trusts BP (except for the Coast Guard, of course).
Only 18 percent of those polled said they approved of how British Petroleum PLC, which was leasing the Deepsea Horizon Rig when it erupted in a ball of flames and sank, was acting in response. An overwhelming majority -- 70 percent -- said they disapproved.
President Obama fared slightly better, with 45 percent saying they disapproved of his handling of the crisis. That still represents an overall negative rating, however, as only 35 percent said they approved of his words and deeds since the disaster struck.
In terms of a partisan breakdown for Administration support, the full polling memo said:
Republicans 24% 51
Democrats 50% 32
Independents 29% 50
The rest had no opinion. There was no partisan breakdown provided for opposition to drilling - which I found odd.
It would have been nice if the President had used this crisis to explain to Americans why we need to wean ourselves off of oil, why we need energy reform.
The only people who approve of more drilling now are Republicans, Conservadems in Congress, and the Obama Administration(Although perhaps the Energy Secretary is going off the reservation). As usual, the ordinary people of this country are way ahead of our governing elite. What is happening to our country?