Replacing BP as the leader in the cleanup of the Gulf of Mexico oil leak is not an option and such calls are just a metaphor, Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said on Monday.

As complaints about the federal government’s response to the massive oil leak continued to grow, Allen, the national incident commander, briefed White House reporters on the Obama administration’s efforts to deal with the spill, which began with the explosion and sinking of a deep-water oil rig last month.

As the oil has continued to flow into the gulf and onto some 70 miles of Louisiana coastline, the administration has upped the rhetoric on how the leak is being fought. Throughout, the administration has maintained that it is doing all it can and that BP, which operates the well, is the responsible party for the cleanup.

Over the weekend, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar complained about BP’s performance and threatened to have the federal government take over the operation, a possibility that the White House last week said could not be done.