It’s hard to imagine anyone having a worse day than Tony Hayward, BP’s embattled chief executive, who spent Thursday in the cross hairs of an angry Congressional committee and turned in a mind-bogglingly vapid performance. But he got a run for his money from Representative Joe Barton, a Texas Republican, who inexplicably decided to call the escrow account agreed to by BP and the White House a “$20 billion shakedown.” More...
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Joe Barton was speaking to his home town constituency in oil rich Texas. While national Republicans were distancing themselves from Barton's remarks his home town constituency may not have been that upset. Tony Barton was forced by other Republicans to recant his earlier statements but truth be told he was expressing the sentiment he truly feels. His benefactors are Texas oil men. Barton is a politician like George Bush, and many other members of the previous presidents administration, who are joined at the hip with big oil. This is the reason that there has been so little oversight of the oil drilling industry. During the last presidential campaign the slogan was "drill baby drill". We are now living with the consequences of that "drill baby drill" philosophy. It's time to facedown the powerful oil industry lobby. President Obama's meeting with BP Chairman Hayward and Hayward's $20 billion dollar commitment of money to pay for damages was only the beginning.
John H. Armwood
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