Disaster's 'go-to-guy' starts feeling the heat

WASHINGTON - The oil spoiling the marshes and white-sand beaches of the Gulf Coast is also threatening the pristine image of the burly, take-charge leader who has become the federal government's go-to guy in a disaster.

Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, one of the few federal officials whose reputation survived Hurricane Katrina intact, is facing growing criticism that he and his agency are overwhelmed by the catastrophe.

It's unfamiliar territory for a former Coast Guard Academy football captain. Back in 2005, most leaders in the Gulf had kinder words for Allen's operations after then-President George W. Bush chose him to take over the widely criticized Hurricane Katrina response, initially led by former Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown.