Republicans apologize to BP for inconvenience caused to their drilling operations by the Gulf of Mexico

by Casey Flynn

Republicans and Rush Limbaugh request that the storks et al. apologize to BP

Rep. Joe Barton, a Texas congressman and the highest-ranking Republican on the Energy and Commerce Committee, apologized to BP chief executive Tony Hayward during a hearing Thursday morning.

“I’m ashamed of what happened in the White House yesterday,” Mr. Barton said in his opening statement. “I think it is a tragedy of the first proportion that a private corporation can be subjected to what I would characterize as a shakedown — in this case a $20 billion shakedown.”

Joe Barton further apologized to BP that the Gulf of Mexico, the plant and wildlife of that ecosystem, the beaches, and the surrounding wetlands have gotten in the way of BP’s oil drilling operations in the Gulf.

The storks have hired one of the biggest plaintiff’s attorneys, pictured here, to represent them for their class action and individual claims against BP.

Joe Barton then said that after the Gulf of Mexico is transformed into the Gulf of Tar Ball, Tony Hayward, Lord John Browne, Baron Browne of Madingley, former head of BP, and other BP foreign executives should be able to return to their estates in England far from the Gulf of Tar Ball without being harassed by the Obama Administration.  To do otherwise, would be against the US Constitution, the American way of life, and everything that our Founding Fathers stood for.

Never to be one to let the ludicrous go undefended, Rush Limbaugh and other Republicans have in effect seconded Joe Barton’s apology to BP that they are a victim of a government shakedown.  In other words during the sixty plus days of the BP oil spill, the Republicans have gotten truly outraged about one thing:  Obama’s heavy-handed treatment of BP only in regards to payment of damages claims.

Republican midterm campaign platform: "We won’t let BP get fleeced!"

That’s all the Republicans are getting worked up about from the BP Gulf of Tar Ball debacle:  a hypothetical concern that BP, a private corporation, might overpay for damages claims?  Considering all that BP has done wrong, all that Obama has done wrong in his response to this disaster (a lot, see previous post), all that Democrat and Republican Congressman and federal regulators have done wrong to allow this to occur in the first place (this was a gross failure of regulation and oversight), this is what the Republicans want to focus on in their efforts to return to power in the midterm elections.

I don’t know the details of this escrow fund, but perhaps it has a reversionary interest to BP if – miracle of miracles – this ecological disaster does not come to fruition.  Do the Republicans have any concern that BP will pay out its dividends, award bonuses to its executives, and then seek bankruptcy protection?  Could the escrow fund be a hedge to protect legitimate claimants from losing out in such a bankruptcy scenario?  Who will restore the wetlands and wildlife of the Gulf of Mexico if BP goes belly up?  What about a potential windfall to BP if the government pays most of the bill, and BP lawyers up and successfully fights liability?

What I do know is that no one should waste their breath on whether BP might overpay legitimate claimants at some future date until (1) the spill is plugged and (2) the environmental cleanup is complete.

Republican/ Rush Limbaugh/Tea Party challenge:  When will Rush or any individual in these groups express apoplectic outrage and unleash a tirade against BP for what they have done and demand that the type of ‘trust, but verify’ regulation for oil companies be passed.

Chirp, chirp, chirp …