Mass. Delegation — Except Brown — Generally Supportive Of Obama Oil Response

President Obama's Oval Office address on the Gulf oil spill Tuesday night received mostly positive reviews from the state's congressional delegation, though Republican Sen. Scott Brown expressed skepticism about the president's approach to the spill.

Rep. Ed Markey says the president struck the right tone in vowing to hold BP fully responsible for clean-up and compensation, and his colleague, Rep. Richard Neal, says Obama covered all the bases, including the need to move away from fossil fuels.

"The result of which is in this disaster, that sense of anger we all feel about BP, there, nonetheless, is an opportunity to begin again," Neal said, "a conversation about what energy independence really means."

Sen. John Kerry hailed the speech as an historic leadership moment, but Rep. Michael Capuano says the speech could have come sooner.

"It really focuses more on actions than it does on words," Capuano said. "It's a good things to say these things, it's a good thing to be in the right direction, and I think what I heard last night indicates that he is. But I thought that before the speech as well."

Sen. Scott Brown told WBUR that he's worried Mr. Obama might use the oil spill to push his energy policy agenda, rather than focusing on cleaning up the spill.

"I wish he would spend more time focusing on how we are going to clean up the spill and how we are," Brown said, "and less time trying to pass blame and also trying to push a national energy tax that will send jobs overseas."

Brown expects the president to ask him to support energy legislation mentioned in the speech during a meeting the two will have in the Oval Office Wednesday.

"I need to see what bill they're talking about because if it's a bill that involves a national energy tax or a cap and trade scheme, I'm opposed to it," Brown said.