Thursday, June 17, 2010

Same Old Song And Dance

Texas Republican Congressman Joe Barton apologizes to poor, put-upon British Petroleum for the mean way they've been treated by the White House:

"I'm ashamed of what happened in the White House yesterday," Barton said. "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."

"I apologize," Barton told Hayward. "I do not want to live in a country where any time a citizen or a corporation does something that is legitimately wrong is subject to some sort of political pressure that is -- again, in my words, amounts to a shakedown. So I apologize."

Then, when other GOP lawmakers suggest that maybe taking the side of the people that poisoned the Gulf of Mexico and ruined countless lives doesn't make for good visuals, the good old fashioned sidestep begins. First, the old "I didn't really say what I said" dodge:

"I think BP is responsible for this accident, should be held responsible," Barton said, before adding that he also thinks the company should pay for costs of the spill. "If anything I have said this morning has been misconstrued to an opposite effect, I want to apologize for that misconstruction," he added.

Then the "okay, forget what I just said, I actually did say what I said I didn't say, but now I'm sorry I said it":

"I apologize for using the term 'shakedown' with regard to yesterday's actions at the White House in my opening statement this morning, and I retract my apology to BP," he said. "...I regret the impact that my statement this morning implied that BP should not pay for the consequences of their decisions and actions in this incident."

I mean they do this every freakin' time. Horrible statement, claims of being misquoted or misconstrued, then the apology, and suddenly all the bullshit is forgiven. How long are people going to let them get away with this crap?


7 comments:

Randy Johnson said...

No one can do the side step as well as those Republicans, can they?

Anonymous said...

I just want y'all to know I'm ashamed the entire Republican Party is from America.

Indiana Joe said...

Heck, I'm ashamed that they're all carbon-based.

Celine said...

*headdesk*

There are times when it really, really sucks to live in Texas. This is a perfect example of why I say, "I'm not a Texan, I just happen to live here."

OTOH, if his next opponent doesn't make that clip the centerpiece of the campaign, I will smack a bitch.

Fran said...

Isn't it a bit scary that Charles Durning's character has more integrity than real politicians?

*sigh*

Tom said...

Oh, it gets better. Now Barton's bragging about how he embarrassed the Energy Secretary by showing Chu couldn't explain how oil came to be under Alaska.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/24/rep-joe-barton-brags-abou_n_191042.html?ref=fb&src=sp

You'd think someone with a rock for a brain would understand more of geology but, no, Barton is blissful and blustery in his ignorance.

Charlieopera said...

The Gulf disaster was a political wet dream for the Republican party and Joe Barton is a political wet dream for the Democrats.

And it all evens out in the end ... the dog and pony show yesterday is over, BP goes on as if nothing happened and the little people get screwed (the ones that didn't die) in the end.

And it doesn't make a difference which party is in control.

Think Katrina: Political wet dream for Dems ("heck of a job, Brownie" included) and mayor Ray Nagin (re-elected, talk about Alvin Greene) provided some counter fodder from the right.