After apologizing to BP, Republican congressman Joe Barton disappeared, but he's finally back.
Any guesses as to where he went while he was gone? Interviewing for a job lobbying for big oil, perhaps? Maybe competing with Parker Griffith for some industry association role?
Oh, and not to pile on, but Nate Silver flags an interesting detail about Barton's political career: his biggest single source of corporate contributions is Anadarko Petroleum -- BP's domestic partner on its leaking well. The CEO of Anadarko, which holds a 25 percent stake in the venture, was just named the "Executive of the Year" by an industry publication.
Anyway, here's video of the hearing, now featuring questions from Barton to Hayward:
Update 1 -- Barton concludes by saying "BP is responsible and should be held responsible." He adds that if anybody "misconstrued" his earlier comments (in which he apologized twice to BP and said he was ashamed of his country's response to the spill) that he again "apologizes." So here's a couple of questions: will that be enough to save his job? And if he thinks BP was responsible and should be held responsible, why the hell did he apologize to them?
Update 2 -- Heritage Foundation wingnut: The hearing is "a public lynching." In their world, the worst thing you could ever do is hold a corporation responsible for damage that it's done. These guys (the wingnuts) are giving BP a run for their money when it comes to idiocy.
Update 3 -- Hayward insists that there is no evidence of reckless behavior on that part of BP.
Update 4 -- Sean Hannity on Twitter:
It's a double standard for the fed gov to cover up their failure with the oil spill and make BP the bad guy. They want you to blame only BP!
Yeah, in a hearing with the CEO of BP...let's blame the government! (But only Democratic government. Never blame the clowns on the right who wrecked MMS and insisted on "Drill, baby, drill.")
Update 5 -- From the office of the Speaker: A new CNN poll shows 82% of Americans support the $20 billion escrow fund for compensating spill victims. Yet House Republicans think it's "shameful" and an example of "gangster" politics because BP is being "fleeced."
Update 6 -- You can see the GOP melting before your eyes: In an interview just now on MSNBC, Haley Barbour backed off his opposition to the escrow fund, and now thinks it's a good idea. There's nothing more fun than watching Republicans slink back over and say in a soft voice: "Okay, you were right. We agree with you after all."