Yesterday Opinion.com posted an editorial about the comments of Texas Republican Representative Joe Barton.  According to the article, Representative Barton 

“…declared that he was “ashamed” of the White House’s tactics, and called it “a tragedy of the first proportion that a private corporation can be subjected to what I would characterize as a shakedown.””

I really like a politician who tells the truth.  Evidently, the leaders in the Republican Party have no spine and are afraid of telling the truth.  After Representative Barton made that statement, House Republican leader Representative John Boehner of Ohio and GOP Whip Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia demanded that he apologize immediately.

But there is more to the story.  The article reports:

“The real outrage, though, should be reserved for (Vice President) Biden if he, as radio talk show host Neal Boortz reports, “is the one who leaned across the table during the White House meeting with BP and told them that if they didn’t go along with the $20 billion fund to be administered by Obama’s people, then Obama would ‘do it to them.’ “”

Why isn’t the media talking about that?  It sounds like a shakedown to me.  If it walks like a duck…

The article concludes:

“Barton wasn’t thinking politics when he spoke his mind at Thursday’s hearing. He was thinking about how this government has overstepped its bounds and expressed his legitimate concern over what its recent behavior means to our future.

“His GOP associates should have rallied in support rather than threatened him. Their behavior does not inspire confidence.”

That is one reason we have a ‘tea party.’