Posted on 06/17/2010 3:07:24 PM PDT by Gipper08
The three top members of the House GOP leadership called a top-ranking member's apology to BP "wrong."
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence (R-Ind.) condemned remarks Thursday by Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) in which he apologized to BP for the treatment the company has faced by the government.
"The oil spill in the Gulf is this nation’s largest natural disaster and stopping the leak and cleaning up the region is our top priority. Congressman Barton’s statements this morning were wrong," the three said in a joint statement. "BP itself has acknowledged that responsibility for the economic damages lies with them and has offered an initial pledge of $20 billion dollars for that purpose."
The top three members of the Republican leadership were forced to respond after Barton apologized to BP CEO Tony Hayward in a hearing for the government's pressure on the company to establish a $20 billion account in escrow to pay out damages related to the oil spill.
“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 dollar shakedown,” Barton said.
He later backed off those remarks, apologizing before the committee and in a statement.
Democrats pounced throughout the day on Barton's statement, seeking to tie his remarks to the GOP as a whole. Vice President Joe Biden called the sentiment "incredibly insensitive," while White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs questioned Barton's fitness to serve in the top GOP position on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
The leadership trio sought in their statement to redirect the debate away from their own party and back toward President Barack Obama's handling of the crisis, where they'd made some headway in recent weeks.
"The families and businesspeople in the Gulf region want leadership, accountability and action from BP and the administration," they said. "It is unacceptable that, 59 days after this crisis began, no solution is forthcoming. Simply put, the American people want all of our resources, time and focus to be directed toward stopping the spill and cleaning up the mess."
About all I can say, and very crudely at that, is that these three can just suck it.
Ive tried calling these yahoo’s and they are not answering. I know its past 5 but ?????? WTH?
GOP - rest in peace!
As usual they just don’t get it. What gives the Executive Branch of the government the right to extort money? Both parties have no respect for the rule of law or our Constitution. Boehner must go!!!
Amazing.
The President’s move disregards legal avenues available and imposes a political solution. IMHO, disregards the Constitution to make himself ‘look’ Presidential.
It is tantamount to a shakedown.
It is a overstretch for any politician. Course seeing the bowing and cow-towing of the Pubbies ... it will never be challenged in a court of law.
Damn idiots. Just say it was wrong and move on. You know the media will milk this for their rat overlords. I wish the gop had more discipline when this happens. Maybe stronger leadership is needed.
Yeah we all know that Pence is a RINO
Barton was wrong.
The BP he should have apologized to was the British Pensioners for being shaken down, and the British People for being compared to the 9/11 hijackers, not to the CEO of a multinational corporation.
Vice President Joe Biden called the sentiment “incredibly insensitive,”
______________
A subject matter expert if I’ve ever seen one.
Colonel, USAFR
It is so sad that the Republican women (Palin-Bachman-
Coulter et.al) have larger balls than than the three
so called Repub’ leaders in the government. It is time
to make a big change in the Federal government.
November is our only hope. If we don’t change the
personnel up there we better find a place for
cover.
Oy! What a bunch of a$$hats.
What is the point of having the GOP take power in 2010 when we are just going to do the whole cycle again?? ( 1995 through 2008, Gingrich, Bush “Conservatism”)
Pence acting as limp spined as he is just proves that we can’t trust these people and to throw them all out.
Here are the facts: 1.Obama is doing a shakedown 2. It was just an accident and we need more drilling not less, and we need less government not more.
If the three stooges can’t provide leadership then they should at least shut the heck up and not throw Barton under the bus.
I expect this weak-kneed behavior from Boehner and Cantor, but Pence looks to be a wuss, too. Too bad.
“...not to the CEO of a multinational corporation.”
40% of the ownership is US...
I’m glad this happened. We get to see who the REAL conservatives and men with backbone are. Screw ‘em!
Pence is by far the best conservative in Washington. BUT every single day he becomes more like one of “them” and less like one of us. That is the point. He is no where near as conservative as he was 8,4 or even two years ago.
Nothing "natural" about it.
They can't even get their story straight.
If it's a "natural disaster" BP isn't responsible.
I’m getting sick of Pence. Yesterday there was a comment from him saying he would change his vote to call the Armenian genocide a genocide.
What a wish-washy p**sy
Republicans fold faster than a ___.
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