Rep. Barton apologizes to BP for Obama 'shakedown'

[Allhallowsday]

Rep. Barton apologizes to BP for Obama 'shakedown' 
Well, that was fast. Barely 10 minutes into Thursday's landmark congressional testimony — where BP CEO Tony Hayward and other leading company executives are revisiting the Gulf Coast oil spill before a subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee — the first controversial statement has entered the record.

And no, it didn't come from the gaffe-prone BP brass. Instead, GOP Rep. Joe Barton of Texas, the ranking member on the House Energy Committee, made a decisive splash in his opening remarks (from which Republican leaders immediately began distancing themselves). A staunch conservative who has a long record of backing oil industry interests, Barton apologized to BP CEO Tony Hayward for the "shakedown"  the Obama White House pulled on the company. (Barton has received more than $1.5 million in campaign donations from the oil industry, according to Open Secrets, a nonpartisan watchdog group...)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_ts2660

[3mnkids]

Gotta love those crazy republicans. He's not the only one on BPs side.  Michele Im a lunatic Bachmann called the escrow account redistribution of wealth and BP chumps for doing it.   

If Obama did nothing and BP does the usual corporate thing when faced with multiple lawsuits, file bankruptcy, the right would be having a freaking fit. Nothing Obama does or doesn't do is going to please these people.

Can you imagine Bartons outrage had the oil moved towards Texas. If it were Texans who were losing money from tourism, fishing...etc. He is a dick.

[indianasmith]

I think both sides are grandstanding.  None of this BS going on in Washington is going to do one thing to clean up the mess.  Fix the problem first, fix blame later.

[Jim H]

One thing worth noting: whether it's done enough or not is one question, but the government response to this in both dollars and number of people working on it is easily the biggest response to any environmental disaster in US history. 

I do hope this disaster gets used for the next 500 years as THE example of why strong government regulation of dangerous corporate activity like this is so important. 

Also, this apology is such a douchebag one.

He apologized for his comments being "Misconstrued" rather than actually apologizing for what the said.  In other words, he didn't at all apologize for anything he said.