Villains but no heroes at hearing

NY Post ^ | June 18, 2010 | Charles Hurt

[Scanian]

WASHINGTON -- The really confusing thing about these congressional hearings into all the global-scale catastrophes lately is figuring out on which side of the grand dais the good guys are sitting.

In yesterday's hearings of sham outrage over the Gulf oil spill, the answer, once again, was neither side.

The only good guy, actually a gal in this case, was the oil-smeared screamer carted out by all fours after she went berserk in the back row the moment BP CEO Tony Hayward began his long, languid apology.

Even mired in toxic p.r. sludge, Hayward had sauntered into the hearing room -- past sign-waving demonstrators in oil-rig hardhats -- buoyed by a strange confidence that was out of kilter with the disaster in his wake.

After his carefully annunciated apology, Hayward testified that, well, basically, he didn't know anything.

But he softened each callous blow-off with an "I'm afraid," as in "I'm afraid I don't know" or "I'm afraid I can't answer that."

[Scanian]

Joe Barton had a chance to be a bit of a hero on the side of the Constitution but the spineless GOP leadership forced him to punk out.

[Jack Hammer]

Americans hunger and thirst after oil, gasoline, plastics and everything else petroleum furnishes; however, they want it all by virtue of antiseptic magic.

For some reason, reality doesn’t sit too well with the television generation.

[HiTech RedNeck]

In 20-20 hindsight, the Gulf was probably not the best place to do the first pilot projects with ultra-deep undersea wells. It’s so difficult to get at the crippled well because the water is so deep; no manned vessel can reach it.

[jpsb]

"first pilot projects with ultra-deep undersea well"

Hmmm, interesting, got a link? If this assertion is true it's mind boggling. As I understand it BP made numerious "cost saving" errors in judgement. Hard to believe BP would put anything but it's A team into a "frist effort drill". If the doomed rig carried BP's A team I hate to think what might be happening on other BP rigs.

[bert]

Hayward did well what countless others have done in congressional witch hunts. He chose not to play.

He did his job well. He then turned over the problem to subordinates technically qualified to solve the problems.

He was an example in leadership for the hapless President

[seemoAR]

I watched a little bit of that useless talk. For some reason, I thought how much more could be done to clean up Zero’s oil spill if all those politicians in DC were to go to the Gulf and actually help instead of blowing hot air.

[bitterohiogunclinger]

I'm afraid I didn't have the stomach to watch very much of this farce. Do these DemonRATs really not realize that they expose themselves for the vile, disgusting pompous pigs they are when they step up to the microphone? There really must be something in the water in D.C.. It is not enough to vote these scum out of office. Steps must be taken to castrate them afterward to prevent their evil scheming from returning.

[itsahoot]

but the spineless GOP leadership forced him to punk out.

And of this we should be very aware. Winning back the house doesn't mean we will stop the juggernaut.