Talk of "kicking ass" and demonizing BP oil has led to a backlash from Great Britain, home country of the oil giant, while the rhetoric has also led to violence against BP facilities:

Many Britons are upset at what they see not just as the economic costs of American anger, but also at language they say demonizes Britain, America's partner in the so-called special relationship - loose talk that taps into the British suspicion that Americans are insular and overly nationalistic.

Writing on his Web site, a Conservative peer, Lord Tebbit, called the American response "a crude, bigoted, xenophobic display of partisan, political, presidential petulance against a multinational company."

Comments on British message boards this week have been full of anger at the United States and disillusionment at Mr. Obama, a wildly popular president here until now.

"The rest of the world is fed up with the parasitic attitude of the U.S.," went one representative comment on the Daily Telegraph Web site. "As a Dutch citizen, I used to be a supporter of the U.S., but not anymore. You want the oil? You clean up the mess."

Even as Mr. Obama has been attacked at home for his mild manner, so has Mr. Cameron, the new prime minister, been criticized here for not standing up more forcefully to the United States as BP's fortunes have continued to plummet.

Newsbusters reports of violence directed against a BP service station:

Windows at the BP Gas Station on Highway 51 at Custer Drive were shot out overnight. Folks who work at the store believe the suspects were expressing anger over BP and how it's handling the oil spill.

"I believe that would be the reason," said Alex Saleh. "We don't have any enemies." He said nothing was taken from the store after the windows were destroyed.

Don't you just love smart diplomacy?