White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs has announced last Thursday that President Barack Obama’s trip to Australia and Indonesia will have to be rescheduled. He did not mention any specific reason for the postponement.

Some sources say the postponement is due to the president’s focus on cleaning up the oil spill. It is estimated that up to 798,000 gallons of oil are still endangering our seas.

This is actually the third time his trip to Asia has been rescheduled. Previously, Obama had to do the same twice because of his need to remain in Washington. At that time in March, the House was voting on the health care bill.

Obama expressed his regret in postponing the trip yet again. He delighted in the new plan though to meet with Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono when they are in Canada instead. They will be going to Toronto to attend the G-20 summit later this month.

Both parties fully understand the situation Obama is in. The spokesperson of the Indonesian president said “President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono fully understands the need for President Obama to remain in the United States and deal with the worst environmental disaster in the country’s history.”

The Gulf Coast oil spill is one of the largest and most devastating to date. Half a million gallons of crude oil are spilling everyday from that undersea well. As of now, around 40 million gallons of oil have drifted into the Gulf since the disaster on April 20.