Obama’s Speech on the Oil Spill

During last night’s first Oval Office address on the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, President Obama assured Americans that BP would not control the compensation fund that will be used for the oil spill recovery.

“We will make BP pay for the damage their company has caused and we will do whatever is necessary to help the Gulf Coast and its people recover from this tragedy,” said the President.

Critics are busy fact-checking many of Obama’s comments, including who exactly will have control over the compensation fund. During his speech last night, the President never mentioned if the Federal government would have full authority over the rescue fund.

Also up for scrutiny was the President’s assertion that the rescue efforts in the coming weeks would “capture up to 90 percent of the oil leaking out of the well.”

But according to expert analysts, BP and the administration contend that if all goes as planned, they should be able to contain nearly 90 percent of the worst-case oil flow with if being the key word. Rescue efforts to date have not gone nearly as intended with errors, mistakes and over- and under- estimations wreaking havoc on the attempts to plug the leak.

But still the President made numerous efforts throughout his speech to emphasize the monumental damage that the oil spill has created, trying to send a strong message to Americans that he and his administration are in control of the disaster and fully recognize the gravity of the calamity.

“Already, this oil spill is the worst environmental disaster America has ever faced. And unlike an earthquake or a hurricane, it is not a single event that does its damage in a matter of minutes or days. The millions of gallons of oil that have spilled into the Gulf of Mexico are more like an epidemic, one that we will be fighting for months and even years.”

Read also:

How Gulf Oil Spill is Affecting Wildlife

Gulf Oil Spill Echoes 9/11 Says Obama

Tags: oil spill, president obama, speech