BP's public relations guideline: "No statement shall be made containing any of the following: promises that property, ecology or anything else will be restored to normal."

Levick suggested BP could have cut gas prices at its stations along the Gulf Coast — a show of financial solidarity.

BP has taken a stab at soothing angry Americans, airing a slick, multimillion-dollar national TV spot. President Barack Obama said the money spent on the ads should have gone to cleanup and compensating devastated fisherman and small business owners.

SHOOT: BP is sickening.

clipped from edition.cnn.com clipped from www.msnbc.msn.com BP has been buying ads that pop up when people search for information about the oil spill on Google and Yahoo. The ads, which link to BP's own oil-response sites, typically appear above or to the right of other search results. BP says the idea is to help people on the Gulf find the right forms and people quickly and effectively. Others suggest it's a move to steer searchers away from bad press for BP. "It is clearly trying to protect its brand image," said Matthew Whiteway, director of campaign management at London consulting firm Greenlight, which says 95 percent of BP's search listings are rated very negative. clipped from www.msnbc.msn.com Executives have quibbled about the existence of undersea plumes of oil, downplayed the potential damage early in the crisis and made far-too-optimistic predictions for when the spill could be stopped. BP's steadiest public presence has been the ever-present live TV shot of the untamed gusher.