After blasting BP, Obama now faces its leaders

WASHINGTON (AP) - Fresh from publicly admonishing BP over its massive Gulf oil spill, President Barack Obama now gets his moment with the company's leaders. It will be on his turf and on his terms.

Tuesday night Obama declared: "We will make BP pay for the damage their company has caused." He spoke to the nation for the first time from the Oval Office, which is a venue often reserved for matters of war. That is how Obama now describes the oil disaster, a "siege" on the shores of America.

Obama's showdown at the White House on Wednesday with BP executives will be his first direct encounter with them since the spill began off the Louisiana coast nearly 60 days ago. BP's beleaguered chief executive, Tony Hayward, is expected to be among those attending.