Take apart President Barack Obama’s Oval Office speech on the Gulf of Mexico oil gusher and it comes off short on solutions for containing and cleaning up this mess and long on plans to exploit the crisis for political gain.

Obama used part of his speech to defend his response to the BP disaster, insisting he’s been on top of things “since Day One.” That’s a claim even his most ardent supporters say is not true.

While it is BP that hasn’t stopped the leak so far, federal agencies under Obama’s command have come under harsh criticism for failing to coordinate emergency response teams, delaying the burn-off of oil, holding up requests from Gulf Coast communities to build sand bars and rake beaches, and halting for periods the use of chemical dispersants, among other bureaucratic bungles.

Obama also attempted to convey that he now has BP by the ear and is forcing it to do the right thing. That claim also is more about politics than reality. BP has been incompetent in containing the leak, but it hasn’t resisted meeting its financial obligations.

Even before the president’s speech, BP had paid out $53 million to 20,000 claimants, and was working through another 22,000 claims. The company also had already agreed to the concept of establishing a much larger, long-term fund to pay for the damages.

The president eventually built to his punch line: That this disaster is evidence that America can’t wait any longer to adopt a comprehensive energy policy that weans the nation off of oil.

Though he left room for other options, he strongly pushed the cap-and-trade bill adopted last year by the House: “Last year, the House of Representatives acted on these (energy independence) principles by passing a strong and comprehensive energy and climate bill — a bill that finally makes clean energy the profitable kind of energy for America’s businesses.”

But the policy embraced by the bill would choke off economic growth and kill jobs, including an estimated 30,000 in Michigan.

Cap-and-trade will not protect against accidents on oil rigs. Nor will it change the fact that America will be heavily dependent on oil for decades to come.

The president could best serve the nation’s energy needs not by shutting down deep wells, but by working with the oil industry and federal regulators to make sure they are safe and have more effective emergency plans. The president also should lift the moratorium on offshore oil drilling, which has displaced thousands of workers, compounding the damages tab.

Obama’s incessant bashing of BP also isn’t helping get the oil out of the Gulf. The company’s stock has plummeted, its bond rating has been downgraded and there are whispers on Wall Street of a hostile takeover or break-up.

BP has made a mess, no question. But as angry as both taxpayers and victims are at the oil company, they need for it to remain alive and healthy if they hope to recover their costs and damages.

Obama has tried now several times to make it appear that he is competently in command of the situation in the Gulf. What he’s done so far isn’t working.