Joe Barton is So Sorry!

by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist

There was a literal "jaw-dropping" moment in Congress today when Congressman Joe Barton of Texas, the ranking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, apologized to BP's chairman, Tony Hayward, for President Obama's "shakedown" of that corporation yesterday.

Shakedown! President Obama cleverly got BP, the corporation formerly known as British Petroleum, to agree to put $20 billion dollars in an escrow account in order to ensure that they will indeed pay for the ecological catastrophe that they caused in the Gulf of Mexico.

"Smokey" Joe Barton was incensed - not at the criminal actions and eye-popping negligence of BP, but at the audacity of our commander-in-chief (a colored boy who may or may not be a natural born citizen of the US - and who is probably secretly plotting to take away our God-given guns) for expecting BP to reimburse the people, businesses, and government entities that have been severely harmed by the company. It wasn't just compensation - it was a "shakedown!"

The apology:

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

Barton is a political hack of the "first proportion" who always has his hand out for contributions from the coal and oil industries. In fact, NPR says he is the number one recipient of coal and oil money in Congress! He is a dependable politician who, once bought, usually stays bought! The people in the 6th Congressional District of Texas must be so very proud of ol' Joe with his bulging pockets! What a "representative" of the people he is!

In fairness to Joe Barton, he did eventually come out and apologize for his apology - after some of his Republican peers threatened to strip him from his seniority on the Energy and Commerce Committee for being so danged honest. Joe could not risk losing that cash cow!

BP has suffered a shakedown of the "first proportion" - a continuing fleecing by United States Congressmen - basically Republicans like Joe Barton - who peddle their souls, and asses, and votes for cash - and for that shakedown, BP, I sincerely apologize. It's the way our system works, and it is pure crap - which explains why we have so many turds in Congress!