In a bold-faced effort to reflect the gravity of the situation, President Obama elected to address the Nation on the status of the oil spill crisis (for the first time ever) from the lofty climbs of the Oval Office at the White House.
In the spite of the rare opportunity to focus on the lush environs, the probing cameras preferred to focus up-close on President Obama's face - and in the process - managed to capture every nervous tick and subtle nuance.
Face readers must have been having a field day interrupting the wave of emotions that fluttered across the screen non-stop during the course of a three-pronged speech crafted to assuage the fears of Americans - and ultimately - restore their faith in the Commander-in-Chief, BP, and the Government-at-large.
A battalion of journalists and political analysts waited with bated breath on the sidelines to pitch their two cents worth at the conclusion of what amounted to a maudlin dissertation that touched all the bases.
For many, Obama's approach was too generalized, and lacked the specifics to instill much confidence.
In recent days, a host of critics were quite outspoken about his stance on the issues, and wondered aloud if the Chief even had the "right stuff" in him.
"He didn't care," one grumbled when a mic was shoved in their face.
"Well, he never gave it much thought for the first five weeks," another piped in.
"Not until he needed to cover his butt, did he pay attention, that's for sure."
Another lynch mob questioned the extent of the Government's involvement and the wisdom in it.
Coincidentally, a poll out today, underscored that the "people" preferred that BP remain in charge of the "clean up", "that solutions to the devastating problem be left to the professionals", and "that BP be held accountable for their gross negligence".
If anything, the President used the occasion of the address this afternoon to bring the American people up to speed (though Barack hasn't been, ironically), clarify the status of all pressing issues, and - ultimately - inform the Nation where the industry (and Government) go from here to win back the support of the "people" (and - likewise - scrub up the mess).
Part of that concentrated effort will include the funding of an Escrow account (courtesy BP) to facilitate the claims process for recovery of damages, heal the ravaged Gulf, and answer a call to actively pursue other forms of alternative "clean energy" with the aim of reducing dependency on oil and gas reserves in the decades to come.
Amen!
No comments:
Post a Comment