Even as President Obama and his administration were working out the final details of a $20 billion escrow fund for compensating victims of BP's oil spill, Republicans were crying foul, saying that the escrow fund was unfair and and overly harsh.
Leading off the crazy was Michele Bachmann, who called the escrow fund a "redistribution of wealth fund." She told Dave Weigel that she worried that BP was being "fleeced" by the Obama administration.
Not to be outdone, Missisippi Governor Haley Barbour -- a potential 2012 contender -- said the escrow fund was overly harsh, and could cause BP so much economic pain that it wouldn't be able to offer victims any compensation whatsoever.
Barbour says BP should pay for the damage they've caused, but his logic seems to be: "If we make BP pay, then BP might not be able to afford to pay. So we shouldn't make them pay, so that way they can pay."
If you're confused by Barbour's comments, maybe this will help clear things up: before running for public office, he was a lobbyist. For big oil.
continued at Daily Kos....
