The Reviews Are In

Obama's Oval Office address receives mixed, mostly tepid reviews but general agreement that he did not "hit it out of the park." Far from it.

From the New York Times:

We know that the country is eager for reassurance. We’re not sure the American people got it from a speech that was short on specifics and devoid of self-criticism.

From The Huffington Post:

Were you looking for something that resembled a fully-realized action plan, describing a detailed approach to containment and clean up? Or perhaps a definitive statement, severing the command and control that BP has largely enjoyed, in favor of a structured, centralized federal response? Maybe you were looking for a roadmap-slash-timetable for putting America on a path to a clean energy future? Well, this speech was none of those things.

From The Boston Herald:

Oval Office addresses do indeed lend a certain gravitas to any issue, but this one on Day 57 of a crisis can’t begin to undo the lasting damage of both the oil spill and an administration flummoxed in its response.

And in the St. Petersburg Times:

While not particularly inspiring, he accepted responsibility for the massive cleanup and signaled he understands this is a serious test of his administration.