Early Reaction to President Obama's Speech

President Obama delivered his long awaited Oval Office address tonight, and while the jury is still out on what the future of the Gulf and energy policy may be, verdicts on Mr. Obama's speech have already started rolling in.

Here is a selection of responses from Democratic and Republican leaders as well as political pundits:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.): "President Obama presented a path to energy independence in his speech tonight that strengthens our economy and protects our environment. He made a compelling case that America cannot delay our pursuit of a national clean energy strategy that makes us more competitive globally."

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio): "President Obama should not exploit this crisis to impose a job-killing national energy tax on struggling families and small businesses. Both parties should be working together to craft responsible solutions in response to this disaster."

Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.): "There can be no doubt that the president is rolling up his sleeves to ensure we establish a market mechanism to tackle carbon pollution, create hundreds of thousands of new jobs each year, strengthen energy independence and improve the quality of the air we breathe."

Ezra Klein, the Washington Post: "The optimistic take, at least for environmentalists, is that this is the language and approach Obama uses when he really means to legislate. The pessimistic take is that Obama shied away from clearly describing the problem, did not endorse specific legislation, did not set benchmarks, and chose poll-tested language rather than a sharper case that might persuade skeptics."

Joshua Green, the Atlantic: "What stood out was that for all his praise of the House climate bill and talk about the 'consequences of inaction' and so forth, not once did he utter the phrase, 'It's time to put a price on carbon.'"

Jonathan Chait, the New Republic: "He needs something that at least begins the process of transitioning to a clean energy economy. But with the public uninterested in climate change, interest groups mostly advocating for the status quo, and moderate Democrats unwilling to take another tough vote, he's not going to get much."

Jason Linkins, the Huffington Post: "And yet, basically what we got, in spades, was sentiment. To be sure, it was no doubt deeply felt...But if you were hoping that some of that stuff [plans to stop the oil spill and new energy policies] would be revealed on actual teevee cameras, in prime time, well, you were S.O.L."

More Coverage of Obama's Speech:

Obama: We Will Fight Oil Spill With Everything We Got
Watch the Speech
Full Text of Obama's Speech
Pictures: Obama Visits the Gulf Coast
Chip Reid: Obama's "Battle" Metaphor Runs Into Problems
Mark Knoller: Obama Offers Strong Words But No Magic Formula
Daniel Farber: Obama Treads Water and Oil in the Oval Office
Reaction: What Happened to Cap and Trade?
Sen. Vitter: Still No Urgency in Gulf Coast Response
Energy Reform Remains Stalled on Capitol Hill
Fact Check: Gaps in Obama's Oil Spill Speech
What Will Happen Next?
CBSNews.com Special Report: Disaster in the Gulf