A Republican congressman took it upon himself to apologize to BP chief executive Tony Hayward for the White House "shakedown" that led the company to establish a $20 billion compensation fund. Calling the agreement a "terrible precedent," Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) said BP had been the victim of "political pressure." White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was quick to react: "Barton seems to have more concern for big corporations that caused this disaster than the fishermen, small business owners and communities whose lives have been devastated by the destruction." What a blow to the GOP, says Chris Good at The Atlantic. Barton's apology "encapsulates everything Democrats want voters to believe about Republicans" — that they're in the pocket of Big Oil, and oppose clean energy. But Barton was simply pointing out, says Ross Kaminsky at American Spectator, that Obama treated BP "the way Al Capone treated a rival moonshine distributor" — unlawfully, and with disproportionate force. Watch Barton's apology here:
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.