Depending on how the next few years unfold, Obama's speech today on the U.S. economic crisis could turn out to be just another blip on the political radar or one of the most important Presidential speeches in recent history. (In case you missed it, here's the transcript) Accordingly, here are my thoughts on what he said:

Thumbs Up:

Personal Responsibility From Top To Bottom

Perhaps what surprised me most about Obama's speech was the way he pushed at least some of the responsibility for the economic crisis down to the level of the consumer. In words and phrases that were very un-Democrat, Obama chose not to target Bush policies, or even Republican ideals (although he did vaguely glance in that direction). Rather, he spread the blame around all the way from the politicians and bankers at the top, to the regular everyday Americans at the bottom, who, according to him, had taken advantage of cheap debt and borrowed irresponsibly:

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