Joe Barton's largest campaign contributors come from the oil & gas industries? It shouldn't. Nice that he so blatantly shows his bias against Americans and the worst environmental disaster to hit this country and for his own craven interests. Frankly, I think Nancy Pelosi should make him apologize to Americans on the House floor since he was also the chief architect of the Cheney Oil Act that deregulated oil industry, waived EIRs and allowed this travesty to happen.

Here's his contact information if you'd like to share your opinion of his groveling in front of BP.

UPDATE: The White House responds:

“What is shameful is that Joe Barton seems to have more concern for big corporations that caused this disaster than the fishermen, small business owners and communities whose lives have been devastated by the destruction. Congressman Barton may think that a fund to compensate these Americans is a ‘tragedy’, but most Americans know that the real tragedy is what the men and women of the Gulf Coast are going through right now. Members from both parties should repudiate his comments.”

UPDATE 2: Nancy Pelosi tweets:

Americans are suffering in the Gulf while Republicans apologize to Big Oil. We need clean energy now. #BPhearing

UPDATE 3: Wow. Per the Politico, there are some very unhappy (Republican!) congresspeople in the Gulf region, calling for Barton's head:

Republicans, particularly Gulf state lawmakers, are furious at Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) and may ask him to cede his job as top Republican on the Energy and Commerce Committee in the wake of his apology to BP Thursday.

"People are calling for his head," said a GOP member of the committee.

[..]Barton, headed into Minority Leader John Boehner's office, said calls for his resignation are "news to me."

Asked whether he planned to stay put as top Republican on the committee, he declared "Damn straight."

Lawmakers were "hunkered down" in Boehner's office to discuss the flap, according to the member who said people were calling for Barton's resignation.

UPDATE 4: Per CNN's Lisa Desjardins:

BARTON: More Repubs denouncing Barton (R-TX) apology to BP. Now Brown-Waite, R-FL, Putnam, R-FL, Scalise, R-LA and Miller. #OilSpill

UPDATE 5: Nate Silver points out that Barton's top corporate donor is a partner of BP on Deepwater Horizon. Can you say conflict of interest?

UPDATE 6: Barton walks back his apology:

“I want the record to be absolutely clear that I think BP is responsible for this accident, should be held responsible and should in every way do everything possible to make good on the consequences that have resulted from this accident. And if anything I have said this morning has been misconstrued in opposite effect, I want to apologize for that misconstruction.”

That non-apology apology didn't work too well for most. As John Kerry tweeted: Exactly which part of "shakedown" was misconstrued?

Barton was more direct in a statement issued in his name later: “I apologize for using the term "shakedown," and I retract my apology to BP.”