Thank You Mr. President...fo nuthin

So I'm sitting at home, lamenting the fact that I couldn't go to Eric Whitacre's concert tonight, and I glance through the TV guide debating whether to read or watch television. I was excited to find that a presidential address was coming on and eagerly set channel reminders so that I could finally get a strong position on a solution to this oil fiasco. I likened it to one of Roosevelt's fireside chats and reflected on how beneficial it is to have an executive commander who keeps in contact with all of his citizens. I sat down at my couch (actually facing the fireplace) and happily awaited the new insights I would gain from this experience.
Half an hour later I'm still sitting on my couch, but the only notion in my head remains, "That's it?" I know from the twenty-month long election process that Obama is a hell of a speech maker and as someone who appreciates a good piece of rhetoric, I have to say I'm rather insulted that he thought that extended soundbite would mollify us. I consider myself to be pretty good about keeping up with current events and I actually stopped listening to the news recently because I was sick of hearing more of the same; this growing problem and a growing piled of failed attempts at a solution. I had it in my head that there would be more to his speech than information on what was going on. It turned out to be nothing but a thrown-together "state of the gulf" speech reminding the American people of what we already know. We know that millions of gallons of crude terra crap has gushed and continues to gush out of the failed BP pipes. We know that the initial explosion is a result of neglect on BP's part and back scratching on the government's part. We know that upwards of hundreds are watching their livelihoods wash away in a grimy oily tidal wave as the leak empties toxic products into water where the wildlife is dying at alarming rates. We know that dealing with clean-up is dangerous because of exposure to both the chemicals released into the water and the chemicals that have been used to separate the oil from the rest of the water. We know that the country is far too dependant on oil as a source of fuel and has been lax in finding alternatives because it's easier to wait for someone to discover black gold in their backyard than to do extensive research on cleaner less finite energy sources. This has been going on for two months now and no news station hasn't mentioned all of that and more. Why, then, did you, Mr. President, spend the majority of your speech on what we already know?
What was the purpose of this speech? Was it to pacify us? To let us know that you really are "kicking ass" as you suggested? Do you really believe any intelligent person who cared about what's going on in this nation right now would be satisfied by a thirty'minute filibuster? I am eighteen years old, have no degrees, no work history, and can't drive myself to the corner without freaking out, but I'm competent enough to know that I (and the rest of the country), deserved better than that. Where were the estimates on when the wells would be finished? What was the basis for this "ninety percent" that's supposed to be collected before the leak is permanently fixed? What specific measures are being taken to hold BP accountable for the financial impact, the environmental impact, and the obvious broken regulations? Besides chastising us for not already having a better energy policy, what immediately feasible alternative is there right now to fossil fuels? How are other oil companies going to be effected by BP's carelessness? Why does there have to be a new commission to inquire and seek a solution every time someone in the government screws up?
It's events like this that make me sure I never want to run for president. Aside from it being a dead-end job with little time off and no room for advancement, the job description in itself is just too funky. There is something about this job that makes him responsible for making this situation better. I don't know if this has to be by executive order or pushing a bill through the house and senate or bullying David Cameron into punishing BP on their home front but really, what's the use of being the leader of the free world if you can't even do anything to fix a national environmental disaster? You haven't even made me feel better about it. I gave you half an hour of my life and for what? I have a paragraph full of questions, an angry headache, an injured ego and a powerful longing for that half-hour of my life back. I really wish I could've gone to Carnegie Hall.