国石油公司(BP PLC)负责墨西哥湾事务的高管达德利(Bob Dudley)，以及美国政府负责墨西哥湾事务的官员艾伦(Adm. Thad Allen)，本月早些时候都下榻在新奥尔良同一家酒店。一天，达德利在酒店偶遇艾伦，想在繁忙一整天后说一声晚安，结果却收到了新的指令。
艾伦说，政府希望英国石油为受漏油事件影响的各州的社区代表 付账。达德利问，什么意思？不明白你让我们做什么，我是不想点头的。约两个星期过后，政府要求英国石油设立这种专门处理地方问题的团队。
就 这样，每天都有新的指令。在共同应对危机之际，奥巴马政府现在已经控制着英国石油在墨西哥湾的账簿和资源，包括石油分散剂的使用，发表声明的措辞等等。
英 国石油的管理层说，他们常常听到“美国总统下令”之类的话。几周前，英国石油负责拦油带的协调人接到一位官员从“空军一号”(Air Force One)打来的电话，说到要把一批八万英尺长的拦油带运往何方。
另外一件稍小的事是，副总统拜登(Vice President)曾对设在新奥尔良的全国事故指挥中心(National Incident Command Center)做过一天的拜访，英国石油为此刚刚收到一笔7.5万美元没有列明细目的欠账单。
达德利说，我们实际上是为美国政府工作。
油 井漏油之初，奥巴马政府在很大程度上是把应对危机的差事交给了英国石油，后来又尝试一起做，但仍让英国石油打头阵。现在，在公众的批评声音中，白宫已经加 强了对英国石油应对工作的控制。
白宫相信，它所采取的措施已经迫使英国石油动用了更多 的资源。与此同时，英国石油一些人说，政府常常是弄巧成拙，给他们的行动造成了麻烦。
在政治上，加强控制对白宫来说既带有希望也带有风 险，对英国石油就更是如此。在油井可能很快被堵住的情况下，如果人们觉得是政府控制着英国石油，则有可能把部分功劳记在政府身上。但万一控制漏油的进展出 现倒退，那么政府如此公开地严加控制就有可能造成相反的结果。
民主党民意测验家、策略人士梅尔曼(Mark Mellman)说，不管奥巴马是否在真正地掌管此事，公众都觉得他负有责任，所以形成他掌管着此事的观感是很重要的。
梅尔曼说，英国石 油正在看有没有办法从火线中抽身，包括可不可以跟在奥巴马后面亦步亦趋。
对于政府竭力表明它在掌管这场行动，英国石油一些高管求之不得。 一位高管说，现在政府承担的罪责和我们一样多了。
从两家汽车公司的准国有化，再到出资救援金融机构，过去两年，美国政府与私人部门的关系 经历了巨大的变化。而联邦政府与英国石油之间，则是这种关系的新版本：政府和一家外资公司并肩作战，而它在这家公司当中没有任何财务上的利益。
Bob Dudley, BP PLC's lead executive in the Gulf of Mexico, spotted his U.S. government counterpart, Adm. Thad Allen, at the New Orleans hotel where both were staying earlier this month. Wanting to say good night after a long day, Mr. Dudley instead got fresh orders.
Adm. Allen said the government wanted BP to pay for community representatives in states affected by the oil-well blowout. 'What does that mean?' Mr. Dudley asked. 'I'm reluctant to agree without understanding what you are asking us to do.' About two weeks later, the government told BP to set up such teams, which are designed to handle local concerns.
Another day, another directive. The Obama administration now is controlling BP's checkbook and resources in the Gulf as the two sides respond to the disaster, from use of oil-busting dispersants and the language of announcements.
BP managers say they frequently hear that 'Potus has ordered' such and such, 'Potus' being Washington shorthand for 'president of the United States.' A few weeks ago, BP's coordinator of oil-containment booms got a call from an official flying on Air Force One about where to send 80,000 feet of the barriers.
On a smaller scale, BP just received a $75,000 nonitemized bill for a one-day visit by Vice President Joe Biden to the New Orleans center.
'We effectively work for the government here,' BP's Mr. Dudley says.
When the well first blew out, the administration largely left the job of responding to BP. Then it tried partnering, while still leaving the British company in the lead. Now, facing public criticism, the White House has tightened its grip over BP's spill response.
The White House believes its actions have forced BP to deploy more resources in the fight. At the same time, some at BP say the government's hand has been heavy at times, complicating their efforts.
Politically, the evolving dynamic holds both promise and peril for the White House, not to mention for BP. Now that it is possible the well might soon be killed, the administration might reap some of the credit if it is seen to be riding herd on BP. But publicly taking so much control risks the opposite result in case of further setbacks.
'The public will hold President Obama responsible whether he has real control or not, so the appearance of being in control is important,' says Mark Mellman, a Democratic pollster and strategist.
As for the oil company, Mr. Mellman says that 'BP is looking for any way it can get out of the line of fire, including getting behind Obama's pants leg.'
Some BP executives aren't unhappy the government is going to great lengths to show it's in control. Said one executive: 'Now the administration gets as much blame as we do.'
The relationship between the U.S. government and the private sector has gone through wrenching changes in the past two years, from the quasi-nationalization of two car companies to the bailouts of financial institutions. This U.S.-BP version is a new breed: the government going toe to toe with a foreign corporation in which it holds no financial stake.