By now we all have heard the words uttered by Rep. Barton as an apology to BP for making them contribute to a claims fund….it case you missed it…

“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.

“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.”

After he made his now infamous apology the GOP scrambled to be on record to saying that he, Barton, did not speak for the Party.  After a meeting with the minority leader of the House, Barton came out and made an apology, sort of, it was nothing to remember.

The point was made that he was the ranking member of the GOP on the Energy Committee and if the Repubs win back the House then he would be the chairman of that committee.  Well the GOP had a meeting whether to strip him of is position or not and the votes are in….

House Republicans agreed Wednesday to keep Arlington Rep. Joe Barton as the party’s senior voice on energy policy, after one more apology – a private one to his colleagues – for the uproar he stirred last week by apologizing to oil giant BP.

“This issue is closed,” said House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio, who downplayed the episode as a “distraction” from discredited Democratic energy policies.

Now knowing that his words will show up a bunch of 30 second during this and future campaign ads for the Dems….why would they chance the fact that this could weigh heavy at the polls?

To me…Barton said openly what the rest of the cowards will not admit…..that they feel the same and if possible will do everything they can to stop the bleeding of money from BP.  They, the GOP, wants to keep an oil friendly guy on the Energy Committee, especially one that is in line for the chairmanship.

The GOP’s true colors will emerge as soon as they think it will not bite them in the butt at election time….my bet is that they will be on the side of BP in the near future.