That title statement is for the GOP……..for about a month or more they have been winning the PR war with the Obama admin….people were seeing the admin as ineffectual against BP and corrupt (some believe)…..but as usual they, the GOP, has squandered their political capital.

What I am talking about?

BP was on the Hill for hearings into their part in the Gulf oil spill….the CEO was being grilled for hours…though he seldom answered a question…the day was overshadowed by Texas Rep. ‘Smokin” Joe Barton when he said……

“I apologize,” he said to Hayward. “I do not want to live in a country where every time a corporation does something wrong, it’s subject to a political process that amounts to a shakedown.”

Before that statement he had said…..

“I think it’s a tragedy of the first proportion that a private corporation can be subjected to what I would call a shakedown,” the Texan said. “In this case a $20 billion shakedown.” Barton said the administration has no authority to ask for this “$20 billion slush fund” and that litigation provides adequate due process for awarding damages.

As soon as Smokin’ Joe had uttered his now famous words….the GOP leadership scrambled to get in front of the media and distance themselves from the comments of Barton.  Minority leader Boehner call Barton into his office and shortly after that Barton issues a non-apology apology.

Politically speaking, this is devastating to the GOP this Fall…Barton’s words will be used in campaigns by the Dems…..mainly because Barton is the3 senior member of the GOP on the energy committee and if the Repubs re-take the House he will be the chairman of that committee.

The GOP cannot afford this liability and if the story stays in the Media then I look for them to remove him from the committee altogether.

As a political theorist may I suggest the the GOP leadership have a meeting of ALL their members and lay down the law, that if they say something incredibly stupid and that statement can be used in the Dems attacks during an election, they need to be removed from ALL committees.

If the GOP wants to be successful in the Fall then they need to put a strong “muzzle” on the idiots in their midst.