Are 9/11 and the Oil Spill similar in National Impact?

President Obama directly or obliquely ( I don't know the context) compared the oil spill to 9/11.  He is shown in this photo eating a snow cone on a beach in the Gulf Coast, presumably reassuring people and encouraging them to not cancel vacations and to come visit the area. Good enough, I support that.   After 9/11 President Bush encouraged people to "go shopping" because the economy was tanking.  Of, course he got alot of flack and derision, and perhaps deservedly so. Is there a double standard in the media? In politics? Are the situations similar or different? Remember, I did not make the analogy, the President did.  One could say, well, in 9/11 people died and it was crass to encourage shopping.  Again, I did not use the 9/11 analogy....What do you think???

"In the same way that our view of our vulnerabilities and our foreign policy was shaped profoundly by 9/11, I think this disaster is going to shape how we think about the environment and energy for many years to come," he told the US political website Politico"