This was the breathless, baseless claim Politico made earlier this week, as it hyped the “Obama's Katrina” meme [emphasis added]:

The ferocious oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico is threatening President Barack Obama's reputation for competence, just as surely as it endangers the Gulf ecosystem.

Here's what Gallup has found regarding the president's overall job approval rating, covering the days since the “Obama's Katrina” attack was launched by the Beltway press:

April 30: 49%

May 1: 47%

May 2: 47%

May 3, 50%

May 4: 50%

May 5: 50%

May 6: 48%

To date, there's zero indication that the government's response to the BP oil spill is “threatening” Obama's reputation. But considering how dedicated the press corps remains to the phony “Obama's Katrina” angle, I doubt that fact is going to stop the storyline from spreading.