In a shocking reversal, the White House has announced that President Barack Obama will make up for his
and
deliver a speech from the Oval Office
tomorrow. This certifies that the BP oil spill is a more serious crisis, or a crisis demanding more serious symbolism, than the recession. It remains to be seen whether it demands more serious symbolism than the
Challenger
disaster or the 9/11 attacks—two other events that the
New York Times
identifies as occasions of “memorable Oval Office addresses.”