Joe Barton III : Rich - Clean the Gulf, Clean House, Clean Their Clock - NYTimes.com

Op-Ed Columnist - Clean the Gulf, Clean House, Clean Their Clock - NYTimes.com: "When Joe Barton, the ranking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, revived Rand Paul’s defense of BP last week by apologizing on camera to Hayward for the “tragedy” of the White House’s “$20 billion shakedown,” the G.O.P. establishment had to shut him down because he was revealing the party’s true loyalties, not because it disagreed with him. Barton was merely echoing Michele Bachmann, who labeled the $20 billion for gulf victims a “redistribution-of-wealth fund,” and the 100-plus other House members whose Republican Study Committee had labeled the $20 billion a “Chicago-style shakedown” only a day before Barton did."

Op-Ed Columnist - Wishing Will Make It So - NYTimes.com

Barton II: Op-Ed Columnist - Wishing Will Make It So - NYTimes.com: "This week, Barton became the star of another hearing, which was convened to grill Tony Hayward, the chief executive of BP. The rosy-cheeked Englishman had the kind of dopey sullenness you might find in an underachieving student at the Hogwarts detention room. But Barton seemed smitten, and he apologized to BP for the president’s “shakedown” of the company for a $20 billion fund to compensate the people of the gulf for the effects of the spill. This is perhaps not the stupidest remark any elected official has ever blurted out, but possibly the dumbest that ever came in the form of a prepared statement.
Every Democrat in Washington did the happy dance. The party could not point out too often that if the Republicans took control of the House, Barton would be leader of the House energy committee."