First BP suicide? Obama 'to blame' for death of man ruined by oil leak



President Obama was last night under fire on several fronts as he was personally 'blamed' for the suicide of a fisherman who is believed to have killed himself over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Allen Kruse, 55, shot himself in the head after seeing the charter boat business he ran for 26 years ruined by the disaster.

'Upset': Charter boat captain Allen Kruse, who committed suicide yesterday after allegedly becoming distraught over the BP oil spill

Friends blamed Mr Obama and the U.S. government for supposedly allowing BP to get away with putting profits before safety, leading to the Deepwater Horizon rig exploding.

One said the Obama administration had 'as good as put the finger on the trigger'.

Another insisted: 'President Obama is absolutely to blame for this and the rest of the government has to shoulder some of the burden too.'

The latest crisis came as the President struggled to deal with the fallout from sacking General Stanley McChrystal over his controversial comments in Rolling Stone magazine, which hits newsstands today.

White sands turned black: Crews work to clean up oil washed ashore at Pensacola Beach in Florida yesterday

Criticised: President Barack Obama was accused of mishandling the oil crisis

Mr Obama had hoped his quick decision to axe the top commander in Afghanistan would reassert his authority and give much-needed momentum to his stalling presidency.

He is also expected to experience a rough ride at the G8 and G20 summits of world leaders in Canada today and this weekend over moves by European countries, including the UK, to slash their budget deficits.

In a fresh blow a Wall Street Journal poll, conducted before the McChrystal affair broke, yesterday showed the President's popularity has sunk to its lowest level since he entered the White House.

Some 62 per cent feel the country is on the wrong track and just one-third think the economy will get better over the next year, a seven-point drop from a month ago and the low point of Mr Obama's tenure.

Any hopes of a smooth ride from McChrystal's successor, General David Petraeus, were immediately dashed as he backed the President's plan to withdraw troops from Afghanistan next year, to the dismay of some politicians and military chiefs.

Next week he faces a Senate confirmation hearing where he will be questioned in depth on the Afghanistan campaign, although his approval is expected to be a formality.

Meanwhile, a former commander of British forces in Afghanistan warned the departure of General McChrystal was a 'significant setback'.

Colonel Richard Kemp, who led British forces in 2003, said: ' President Obama was certainly entitled to fire him, but it might have been better if he had kept him on.

Damage: A group of baby brown pelicans huddle together in a holding pen before volunteers can clean them

'His departure isn't a disaster, particularly as his replacement is such a respected figure, but it is a significant setback.

'It comes at a difficult time for the mission when the surge needs to be driven forward.

'The Taliban have already taken advantage to put some pretty slick propaganda, so it is a setback.'