If only.

White House advisers acknowledged on Thursday that a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico could force the president to reconsider plans to open coastal areas to offshore drilling. But they suggested that no revision in policy would be announced in the immediate future.

In a briefing with the press, key members of the Obama energy, homeland security and press team stressed that their focus remains, at this point in time, on blunting the impact of the BP oil spill -- which was designated with the label: of "national significance."