Marco Rubio Offers His Take on Obama's Speech

Former House Speaker Marco Rubio, the leading Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate election in Florida, offered his take on President Barack Obamas speech to the nation last night. While critical of the president, Rubio is not blasting Obama the way that some Florida Republicans, such as U.S. Rep. Connie Mack, are.

Earlier today, I was pleased that President Obama finally made it down to Florida to see firsthand the Gulf oil spills impact on our economy and environment, said Rubio. For 57 days, Gulf states have been reeling from the impact of this spill, and it's important to send the message that Florida remains open for business.

Ultimately, there is a lack of leadership, while mistrust is the prevailing sentiment, said Rubio. For example, Ive spoken to fishermen in Destin and across the Panhandle who were hurting even before the spill because of government regulations. Their challenges have since been exacerbated.Floridians and our fellow Gulf states dont need any more sound bites or dithering. We deserve deliberate action to cut through the red tape that is holding back disaster mitigation efforts.We need action.

I urge the president to act swiftly and focus his attention on making sure that every possible measure is taken to equip our first responders with the tools they need to do their jobs, encourage willing volunteers who want to help us in our time of need, and re-emphasize that Florida is open for business, said Rubio. Finally, it is also my hope that the president will not take his focus off the Gulf oil spill to push a cap-and-trade national energy tax."