Huffington Post: Obama's Oil Speech Panned: Short On Details, Broader Climate Plan

[SarahB]

Obama offered no immediate remedies for a frustrated nation. Rather he announced he had asked former Mississippi Gov. Ray Mabus to develop a long-term Gulf Coast Restoration Plan - to be funded by BP PLC - in concert with local states, communities, fishermen, conservationists and residents "as soon as possible."

He did not detail what this effort - he called it a "battle plan" - should include or how much it might cost, a price sure to be in the billions of dollars. Whatever the bottom line, he declared to his prime-time television audience, "We will make BP pay."

Reviews of the speech were harsh.

MSNBC personalities Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews, and Howard Fineman were particularly disappointed. "It was a great speech if you were on another planet for the last 57 days," Olbermann said, adding, "Nothing specific at all was said... I don't think he aimed low, I don't think he aimed at all. It's startling to have heard this, isn't it?" Fineman agreed: "He wasn't specific enough," and failed to lead as a "commander-in-chief" should.

Even close allies of Obama's in Congress sounded critical notes. "I appreciate the President's attention to the disaster," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said in a statement, "however, the public needs additional assurance that, all aspects of the spill response, from cleanup to claims, are being enforced and coordinated by the federal government." Another senior Democratic congressman, John Dingell of Michigan, said in a statement, "I was disappointed President Obama did not call for an increase in the liability cap. BP made $16.8 billion in profits last year. BP, and oil companies in general, have been making money hand over fist over the past few years - even while our economy falters."

Fifty-seven days into the crisis, oil continues to gush from the broken wellhead, millions of gallons a day, and Obama has been powerless to stem the leak. The sad episode has raised doubts about his leadership and his administration's response to what Obama has called the nation's worst environmental disaster.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/15/obamas-oil-speech-panned_n_613711.html

[babylonsister]

1. Haha! "Obama has been powerless to stem the leak." Damn that

Obama, he ISN'T Superman. Who knew? I submit, maybe the author should be blaming bp? Just a thought.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

2. After waiting this long to make an address about the spill,

yes, it should have had a lot more detail. It seemed like an outline for a speech with gaps and a notation saying "details here"
every other paragraph.

I thought the Pressident seemed drained, more than any other adjective I could use.

I found ending with a prayer for guidance completely unsettling.

"The oil spill is not the last crisis America will face. This nation has known hard times before and we will surely know them again. What sees us through - what has always seen us through - is our strength, our resilience, and our unyielding faith that something better awaits us if we summon the courage to reach for it. Tonight, we pray for that courage. We pray for the people of the Gulf. And we pray that a hand may guide us through the storm towards a brighter day. Thank you, God Bless You, and may God Bless the United States of America."

I thought he WAS the hand guiding us through this?!