Obama's First Oval Office Speech

On Tuesday, President Barack Obama chose the gulf oil spill crisis as being of sufficient gravity to justify his first use of the Oval Office for a nationally televised speech. Until this time, Obama has relied on prime time press conferences and high profile speeches in front of live audiences to get his message out. With the oil spill nearing its two-month anniversary and public anger mounting, the President needed to counter perceptions of a sluggish response and detached manner related to the crisis. Going in, I predicted that the President needed to reflect the public's anger and channel their helplessness (interview can be found about half through this mp3 link). For various reasons, the speech has been criticized by those on the left and right, and, most pervasively, by media commentators. And to prove that I don't echo the vast media echo chamber, I have to disagree. It just was not that bad of a speech, especially upon a second viewing. As I mention in my initial reaction, it wasn't perfect by a long shot--some no doubt looked for a more detailed flogging of BP. Also, more details are always nice but can also unnecessarily limit options for the President in pursuing policy, so I understand that choice. Anyway, for whatever it's worth, some additional links can be found here and here.