Sen. LeMieux: Obama or Biden should be on scene in the Gulf at all times

President Barack Obama or Vice President Joe Biden should be continually on the scene to monitor the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, a Florida senator said Friday.

Sen. George LeMieux (R-Fla.), whose home state is among those being affected by the massive spill in the Gulf, urged the Obama administration to "show some leadership" in dealing with the spill.

"What I want to see right now is, I want to see my president, not in a suit in Washington, D.C. I want to see him down on the Gulf coast — not just for a day-of photo shoot — I want to see him leading the effort," LeMieux said this morning during an appearance on MSNBC.

Obama is making his second trip to the Gulf on Friday to survey the ecological damage from the spill off the coast of Louisiana, as well as to monitor efforts to stop the flow of oil from a deepwater pipeline.

LeMieux accused Obama of only going down as a photo opportunity, and said the president had been "caught flat-footed at best," especially compared to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's (R) response to major hurricanes in the state.

"He is not down on the ground like Jeb Bush was during our '04-'05 hurricanes, spending 12 hours at the emergency operation centers," LeMieux said.

The Florida Republican also said that Biden should be on the ground in the Gulf when Obama can't be.

"When he's not there, I want Joe Biden there — not in Africa, going to the soccer game," LeMieux said, referencing a planned trip to the World Cup in South Africa. "Let's show some leadership."