Seriously, the criticism is almost pathetic, it's so predictable. I could have written this diary for IBS just based on previous complaints about Obama.
"No substance."
"No specifics."
"No plans."
So, did you want him to spend 11 hours describing a comprehensive energy plan coupled with plans for clean-up / stopping the leak? Did you think anyone other than political nerds like us would WATCH that shit?
This was not a speech for us.
It was a speech for the average American who heard something of an oil leak located vaguely downwards. Hell, three people I work with hadn't even HEARD of it at ALL until I brought it up last week.
People like that wouldn't understand a comprehensive plan, wouldn't care about it, wouldn't want to sit around and listen about it.
They want to know the "what," "why," and "when" of the clean-up and the reform. You and I are interested in the "how" as well.
His speech was designed to be a pep-talk. It was designed to give basic facts and to leave average Americans feeling slightly better somehow about this whole situation.
We were not his audience for this speech, so getting pissed that it didn't cater to what we look for is beyond ridiculous.
Whatever policy he would like to pass needs to make it through the Senate, filled with corporate politicians and Blue Dogs looking for some press time.
I'd like to head off all the knee-jerk "You're an Obama-bot" or "We're just holding his feet to the fire and not worshiping Obama-God" crap that flows in these sorts of quasi-meta fights by stating that I am not happy with how this oil spill has been handled. I want more, I want to hear more, and I want to see more as well.
I'm also able to see the purpose of tonight's speech was not for Obama to give the final word on environmental issues or the oil spill, nor to let us know the "how" we're all craving.
I hope like hell it's coming soon and it's comprehensive, but getting upset because Obama didn't give us a comprehensive, detailed plan of attack for the spill and for getting off fossil fuels like 3 minutes after his speech ended is insipid.
Not quite as insipid with how quickly the diary in question made it to the top of the list, but that's no surprise there, given the current climate of Daily Kos these days.
NOTE: I have no personal issue with Icebergslim; she has long been one of my favorite users on this site, both in diary and in comment. This time I simply disagree.