Republican forced to apologize for BP apology

Texas' Barton called deal with Obama a 'shakedown, isn't alone in GOP

WASHINGTON - A Texas Republican's apology to BP CEO Tony Hayward that the company had to agree to a $20 billion fund for oil spill damage claims nearly cost him a key House committee position on Thursday.

Rep. Joe Barton was forced to recant by House minority leaders outraged at the vision of an American lawmaker apologizing at a congressional hearing to a foreign head of a corporation that had caused great hardships for millions of Gulf Coast residents.

"I'm speaking totally for myself, I'm not speaking for the Republican party ... but I'm ashamed of what happened in the White House yesterday," Barton had told Hayward during opening statements before the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on investigations.

 Republican House caucus did the politically tactical thing of running for cover.  But some of Barton's colleagues chimed in with their honest opinions as well:

Former Texas Rep. Dick Armey, a leading voice in the conservative Tea Party movement, told a Christian Science Monitor breakfast this week that Obama lacks the constitutional authority to set up such a fund.

"The Constitution doesn't give that authority to the executive branch.... There are courts for this purpose," Armey said, according to the Dallas Morning News.

In addition, conservative Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota was quoted as telling the Heritage Foundation think tank Tuesday that the escrow account was a "redistribution-of-wealth fund."

"And now it appears like we'll be looking at one more gateway for more government control, more money to government," she said, according to the Minnesota Independent.

Its refreshing to see them own up to their actually beliefs.  One hopes they would be more proactive in telling Americans they want to end social security, medicare, as well as increase joblessness to protect the next generation from a nonexistent threat.

 

Then the kicker:

Big Oil contributions
Barton is the biggest recipient of oil and gas industry campaign contributions in the House of Representatives, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

Its data showed that Barton has collected $1,447,880 from political action committees and individuals connected with the oil and gas industry since 1989.

Federal Election Commission records show that during the current 2009-10 campaign cycle, the oil and gas industry has been the second-biggest contributor to Barton, at $100,470, behind only the electric utility industry ($162,800).

BP, however, has not been especially generous. FEC records show that the company isn't even among his 100 top contributors — in fact, since 1990, it has given Barton an average of only $1,350 a year.

Public Campaign, which calls itself a nonpartisan advocate for reducing campaign costs, said its analysis shows that he has received $27,000 in contributions from BP since taking office in 1985.

Yup. 

Posted via email from Jim Nichols