Mark Kirk's Mixed Feelings About BP (VIDEO)

As Mark Kirk campaigns on his love for Lake Michigan--and his efforts to protect the lake from Big Oil--his stance on BP seems to be a bit conflicted.

As the BP oil spill continues to ravage the Gulf of Mexico and devastate communities and wildlife, a statement Kirk made in 2007 probably rings true to many:

"I think BP now stands for bad polluter...They need to be called out on their corporate hypocrisy."

Kirk was speaking about BP's 2007 plan to dump thousands of pounds of pollutants into Lake Michigan. His harsh words toward the company, along with condemnation from Mayor Daley and thousands of angry Midwesterners, caused BP to back down. The issue was a winning one for Kirk, and the lake, but his devotion to clean water apparently stops at the Great Lakes.

NBC Chicago reports that Kirk joined in the GOP's chorus of "Drill, Baby, Drill!" during the 2008 elections, and apparently he doesn't have a problem with "Bad Polluter" drilling in the Gulf.

"It makes no sense to allow the Chinese to drill on the Cuban side of the line in Florida without us tapping into the very same oilfields," Kirk said on WLS' Don Wade and Roma Morning Show. "We've got the Venezuelans, the Dutch and the Chinese all drilling in the gulf under leases from Cuba. It makes perfect sense for the United States to make sure our team gets that same oil before Castro does."

...

We're getting that oil all right. It's about to wash up in New Orleans. As long as the slick doesn't spread to North Avenue Beach, Kirk probably won't have any complaints.

Meanwhile, Kirk, a Republican running for President Obama's former Senate seat, released a new ad touting his record. Of course, it includes "stopping British Petroleum's pollution of Lake Michigan."

WATCH the ad here: