Whether it’s happenstance or kismet that President Obama chose to speak an hour before Game 6 of the NBA Finals for his first Oval Office speech on the Gulf oil spill remains to be seen. The president’s confidence in the Lake-show may falter tonight, but his message for BP and the coast likely won’t.
The New York Times makes the case that comparing the oil spill to the economy may not be far off, “Now the president must strike the same sort of balance in talking to the nation about the oil spill. And he has chosen to do so from the familiar office that Americans since the dawn of the television age have come to associate with big moments — for them, and for presidents.”
Politico rounds up Obama’s main talking points from Robert Gibbs’ morning show shuffle around MSNBC and Fox News. Front Row Washington explains the allure behind an Oval Office speech and The Daily Beast has the same explanation wrapped up in “Daddy” issues.
Don’t let the background fool you, this is entirely about BP and the Gulf tonight. If you want proof, look no further than Obama’s blunt remark after being asked about the Joe Sestak and Andrew Romanoff races: “Thank you. We’re talking about the gulf today.”
You can watch the president’s speech tonight at 8 p.m. on the White House’s YouTube Channel or any major TV network. Before that, submit questions about the disaster on YouTube/Google Moderator and vote the best ones to the top. The best questions will be answered by Gibbs himself 15 minutes after the President’s speech. Do you need a primer for everything that’s happened in the Gulf since this all started? YouTube and Google have you covered.