June 17th, 2010
04:43 PM ET
13 years ago
Barton retracts apology to BP
Rep. Joe Barton apologized Thursday for using the term 'shakedown' regarding the the $20 billion fund BP agreed to establish for damage compensation, and retracted his apology to BP:
"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. As I told my colleagues yesterday and said again this morning, BP should bear the full financial responsibility for the accident on their lease in the Gulf of Mexico. BP should fully compensate those families and businesses that have been hurt by this accident. BP and the federal government need to stop the leak, clean up the damage, and take whatever steps necessary to prevent a similar accident in the future."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."
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Hey Barton, don't back down.
For Pete's sake man grow some kahoonies.
"BP is on the hook period.The law is already in place for BP to pay up. Its all a show game for the politicians."
Let's see...
"Option A"...several decades of legal wrangling, untold millions spent in legal fees and wages for government employees, then BP gets squirrelly about its ability to pay the judgments, claiming bankruptcy and all sorts of nonsense in an effort to make itself judgment proof.
"Option B"...POTUS convinces BP to VOLUNTARILY pony up $20B to be placed in a secured escrow account to ensure that BP has sufficient liquidity and cash on hand to satisfy judgments, settlements or other orders that it must pay people.
"It's no different that the Arizona law which by the way is a federal law. "
That's what makes it pre-empted under the Constitution. BTW, Captain Self-Contradictory, you don't get to argue that it's meaningless that Obama is seeing to it that the laws in place will be fruitfully enforced but that AZ enacting laws to enforce federal laws, despite clear Constitutional prohibitions to the contrary, is fantastic because the fedss weren't enforcing them.
I tried to send this Barton fellow a comment on his website, but he has it blocked for anyone other than those who can vote for him. I am from Georgia and am so glad this guy doesn't represent me. He is a prime example of a person who has so much hate for a political party that he can see nothing that isn't filtered through his hate. He made himself look terrible and his recanting to remove his foot from his mouth did nothing to help him. I would be willing to bet that he has received a ton of money from BP. Too bad he can't see the people (along the gulf ) for the money.
Wow, who got to the idiot and told him he best retract his ignornant remarks? Problem is that just like the old saying about scattering feathers from an old style pillow. Once they are released you can never get them all back. People have a tendency to remember the bad things you say or do but not recall that you tried to make things right.
What would you have Obama do that he has not done?
I was considering voting for republicans in 2010 and 2012. But after hearing the comments made by this CLOWM, forget.
Well, the time has come to stop asking the government to pick up the bill, for large corporations damages! The GOP has always shown their disgust, or they say, of government spending. Now, when, President Obama, goes after the right people to start paying for the damages their company did, not to mention lives and the economy impact. The GOP faces go redder!
I guess he is taking a hit in his pocket from BP!?
It's clear Joe doesn't care about the "small" people. I was a republican all my life and they stacked the deck against the regular guy. We are now owned by corporations because these reps think nothing of selling us out. Was he just ensuring a big payoff for himself from BP.
even if the Dems dont do much...just remind Americans of the state the Republicans left this country thats all they need to win and i mean win big in Nov....but throw in this Farton eh, Bartons statement and lets just say the gulf residents just got some help in deciding who to vote for thanks Repubs you just made this Dem very happy!!!
Barton the oil lobbyist thinks the people of the gulf can scope oil and eat it! what a pathetic good for nothing angry old man?
Congressman Barton retracted his apology of the apology. I don't see why he would do it. He said exactly what he was feeling.
Some folks call it an okie doke, but down here in bush country, this is what we call the Texas two step. And, as long as you ask for but not really ask for a do over, it is ok.
On behalf of my fellow Texans, I very much want to apologize for sending this jerk Barton to Congress.
Of course, who will do the same thing for Michelle Bachman and the RNC since they voiced the same on behalf of BP earlier?
Joe Barton is just another Republican so filled with hate for the current administration that he was salivating to get in his jabs. There has to be a special place in hell for jerks like him who have sold their souls to big business.
just wonder how FoxNews, Beck, Hannity and Limbaugh are gonna spin THIS!! I mean a Republican doing and saying something STUPID then being forced to retract it? I bet somehow they'll find a way to blame Obama for him saying it. I can hear it now "If President Obama had acted sooner then Rep Barton would not have had the chance to say something like this!"
He didn't retract his apology. He retracted *one* word of it.
Obama did not force BP, they could've said no and not paid and we taxpayers would have to, and lawsuits would go on for 15 yrs or so, people dying in the gulf before they ever saw any money, is this BETTER than what the president Did.
Well BP would've won, taxpayers would have lost and the gulf residents would be up the creek. Yeh this guy sure had his plan, let BP pay their measly 75 mil cap and then tie if up in litigation. thats the republicans plan. Jane
82 percent of us think this 20 billion dollar acct is a good idea. to think otherwise is to advocate the taxpayers pay for it, or money will be held up in litigation for years on end. BP did the right thing, they caused this disaster and should pay for it. Jane
What a shameless fool.
Barton is not a fit representative of the people he has been elected to protect.
An apology is certainly not believable nor is it acceptable.
He should be removed from office. He is more toxic to America than the oil spill itself.
Too late, you said what you really thought and felt and come election time hopefully the brainwashed right will wake up. Throw the bum out!!!
How sad it must be to be a Republican, to have absolutely no moral compass.
While claiming that the WH is using the BP disaster for political purposes, the Republicans (and conservatives at large) are doing all they can to hang any little thing onto Obama's administration. If they had acted quickly, they would have been overreacting and engaging in a 'shakedown', using it as a reason to push their liberal agenda.... oh, wait – that is exactly what they are saying, except that Obama didn't act fast enough. There is a very famous line that goes something like "The lady doth protest too much, methinks".
As a Texan, I apologize for this MORON. He is an old fool republican who does not think about anybody but Big Oil.
You didn't imply anything Barton, you said it outright! I am sure you'll see the public's re-payment this November, even in your district.
APOLOGY NOT ACCEPTED!!!
Throw him out of the energy committee and congress. Let's see if the repugs have what it takes but I doubt it.
It takes a man to do the right thing. They are a bunch of losers starting with boner and ending with bachman who also think the Administration is being so bad to BP!