The $20 billion escrow account agreed to by BP at the behest of the Obama administration looks to be a victory for the president. Although it's too early to ascertain whether this agreement represents the end or the beginning of BP's contribution toward providing restoration to the impacted area.
It is a small ray of hope in what is the worst type of disaster to befall America -- a disaster where "I don't know" is the collective refrain. This tragic mantra holds true from how long it will take to stop the oil to estimates of the damage done to wildlife to the effect on the economy.
From a bottom-line perspective, establishing the escrow account was in BP's interest, it removed uncertainty and stretched the payments over four years. It also was undoubtedly the best public relation moment for BP, whose leadership can't seem to get out of its own pathetic way.
Not long after the Gulf oil spill began, which included the death of 11 employees, BP CEO Tony Hayward lamented, "I just want my life back."
Board Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg, after announcing the $20 billion escrow account, stated not only does the president care about the "small people" but that he does as well.
Svanberg can be forgiven for his verbal faux pas, since English is not his first language. The same, however, cannot be said about Republicans in Congress and some of its right-wing talking heads.
It appears some on the political right are morally obligated to be in opposition to the president regardless of how ridiculous it makes them look in the process.
Right-wing talk show host, Rush Limbaugh called the escrow account a "slush fund." Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., called the escrow account "redistribution of wealth."
But I found the remarks by Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, to Hayward during a congressional hearing to be particularly offensive: "I'm ashamed of what happened in the White House yesterday," Barton said:
I think it is a tragedy in the first proportion that a private corporation can be subjected to what I would characterize as a shakedown -- in this case a $20 billion shakedown -- with the attorney general of the United States, who is legitimately conducting a criminal investigation and has every right to do so to protect the American people, participating in what amounts to a $20 billion slush fund that's unprecedented in our nation's history, which has no legal standing, which I think sets a terrible precedent for our nation's future.
Several hours later Barton apologized, but the damage had been done.
Freedom of speech notwithstanding, how long will there be tolerance for such anti-American rhetoric among those elected to represent Americans?
People in the Gulf region are suffering due to the negligence of a foreign company and Barton tells the CEO of that company he is ashamed of his president whose focus is on those caught in the vortex of this disaster.
How can any elected official in America even appear to side with BP and against its own government in what is the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history? Should the president have waited until BP volunteered to put up the $20 billion?
Why don't Barton, Bachmann and others travel down to the Gulf region and tell those who worked on oil rigs, but have seen their livelihood shut down because of the president's moratorium on offshore drilling, but have a $100 million set aside by BP for their lost wages how ashamed they are of the White House?
Or the myriad mom-and-pop stores throughout the region that depend on tourist dollars to stay afloat, tell them the $20 billion is merely a "shakedown" of BP.
What it means to be an American has become so diluted by unsophisticated external displays such as adorning certain bumper stickers or wearing metal flag lapel pins. But how do we define a member of the House of Representatives who is more concerned about the foreign company that caused the disaster than those who are suffering because of it?
As an American, I am embarrassed to know there are elected officials on Capitol Hill so blinded by partisanship they would side with a foreign company whose negligence will be felt for decades over the efforts of the president seeking to bring a modicum of relief to an area battered emotional, economically, and spiritually.
Moreover, no one knows if $20 billion will suffice, which makes the statements of Barton et al not only appalling but also equally premature.
Byron Williams is an Oakland pastor and syndicated columnist. He is the author of Strip Mall Patriotism: Moral Reflections of the Iraq War. E-mail him at byron@byronspeaks.com or visit his Web site byronspeaks.com.