NYTimes: In Oval Office Speech, Obama Presses BP on Compensation

[Scurrilous]

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"During his first Oval Office address to the nation, Mr. Obama said he had asked Secretary Mabus, a former Mississippi governor, to consult with states, local communities, tribes, fisherman, business owners and conservationists to develop a plan as quickly as possible.

"Make no mistake: we will fight this spill with everything we’ve got for as long it takes,” Mr. Obama said. “We will make BP pay for the damage their company has caused. And we will do whatever’s necessary to help the Gulf Coast and its people recover from this tragedy."

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"But while he said that one lesson of the spill is that “we need better regulations, better safety standards, and better enforcement,” he also seized the moment to call for a sweeping energy bill that, he said, is necessary to reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil. Mr. Obama made the case that the spill only highlights the need for his long-stalled energy bill.

"The consequences of our inaction are now in plain sight,” Mr. Obama said, adding, “Each day, we send nearly $1 billion of our wealth to foreign countries for their oil. And today, as we look to the Gulf, we see an entire way of life being threatened by a menacing cloud of black crude.”

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