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President Barack Obama was criticized by conservatives for participating in a March Madness bracket.

Shortly after he announced his picks for the 2011 NCAA championship on ESPN Wednesday, critics took to the blogs, airwaves and social networking sites to denounce the President.

"The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down nearly 300 right now," Rush Limbaugh said. "My guess is that the street really doesn't like Obama's NCAA bracket."

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich tweeted Thursday that America needs "a commander in chief not a spectator in chief," insisting Obama was "hiding from his job behind NCAA picks."

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus tweeted, "How can @BarackObama say he is leading when he puts his NCAA bracket over the budget & other pressing issues?"

And Fox News ripped the President in an editorial on the Web titled "March Madness -- Obama Fills Out NCAA Bracket But Is Missing In Action on Japan, Libya and the Budget."

For the third year in a row, the President filled out an NCAA Tournament bracket for ESPN. He predicted Duke, Kansas, Ohio State and Pittsburgh would make it to the Final Four. He picked the Kansas Jayhawks over the Ohio State Buckeyes for the championship.

White House spokesman Jay Carney defended the President after a reporter asked whether it was appropriate for the President to spend time making tournament picks.

"There are crises all the time, and for every President," Carney said. "And again, this one is happening halfway around the world, and it is severe, and it is important, and it is the focus of a great deal of the President's attention, as are the events in the Middle East, as are the agenda items that he is pursuing to grow the economy and increase jobs in America and make sure we outinnovate, outbuild and outeducate the competition in the 21st century."

He noted that the ESPN interview was very brief and the President asked viewers to donate to Japanese relief efforts.

"So, yes, I do think it was appropriate," Carney said

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