Rand Paul Calls White House Pressure On BP "Un-American"

[Political Junky]

http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy...hat-‘sometimes-accidents-happen’/

Posted by mattcorley at 9:00 am
May 21, 2010

Rand Paul Calls White House Pressure On BP ‘Un-American,’ Says That ‘Sometimes Accidents Happen’

This post originally appeared on Think Progress.

In an interview on ABC News’ Good Morning America today, host George Stephanopoulos pressed GOP Kentucky Senate candidate Rand Paul on “how far” he would “push” his anti-government views. Playing a clip of Paul telling Fox Business that he wants to “get rid of regulation” and “get the EPA out of our coal business down,” Stephanopoulos asked if Paul believed “the EPA should not be allowed to tell oil companies they can’t use certain chemicals to enforce safety regulations on that rig out there?” “No,” replied Paul, saying that he was referring to the EPA’s effort to regulate carbon emissions.

When Stephanopoulos followed up with a question about getting “rid of the EPA,” Paul defended BP’s response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill last month and attacked the Obama administration’s crackdown on the oil giant as “really un-American“:

STEPHANOPOULOS: But you don’t want to get rid of the EPA?

PAUL: No, the thing is is that drilling right now and the problem we’re having now is in international waters and I think there needs to be regulation of that and always has been regulation. What I don’t like from the president’s administration is this sort of, you know, “I’ll put my boot heel on the throat of BP.” I think that sounds really un-American in his criticism of business. I’ve heard nothing from BP about not paying for the spill. And I think it’s part of this sort of blame game society in the sense that it’s always got to be someone’s fault. Instead of the fact that maybe sometimes accidents happen. I mean, we had a mining accident that was very tragic and I’ve met a lot of these miners and their families. They’re very brave people to do a dangerous job. But then we come in and it’s always someone’s fault. Maybe sometimes accidents happen.

Watch it:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLhyPnZgKgg&feature=player_embedded[/ame]

 

[my2¢]

I like how Paul defended the purpose of the EPA but stated that they need to confine their authority to that which they were given by Congress. At least that is what I thought his message was, the media guy seemed intent on playing got'cha.

 

[rdean]

I like how Paul defended the purpose of the EPA but stated that they need to confine their authority to that which they were given by Congress. At least that is what I thought his message was, the media guy seemed intent on playing got'cha.

Gotcha????

This one company has probably created the greatest man made disaster in US History.

Meanwhile, Transocean (the company that leased the defective equipment) has “passionately argued” to limit its financial responsibility for the disaster. The company filed a court request last week to cap its liability under $27 million, a paltry sum considering BP has already spent over $450 million on cleanup, and analysts estimate the effort could ultimately cost up to $8 billion. As Raw Story notes, Transocean has actually made money from the disaster, collecting over $400 million from insurers, leaving it with a profit of $270 million after the costs of the rig are subtracted. As maritime attorney Jeff Seely told NPR, “They are the only people who have been compensated for this tragedy.

Think Progress Transocean to give shareholders $1 billion while trying to cap its responsibility for Gulf spill at $27 million.

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Under the law that established the reserve, called the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, the operators of the offshore rig face no more than $75 million in liability for the damages that might be claimed by individuals, companies or the government, although they are responsible for the cost of containing and cleaning up the spill.

U.S. Law Limits Oil Company Liability — Will BP Weasel Out of Its Debt? SpeakEasy

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Whatever happens, the US is going to get royally screwed.

 

[Misty]

Oil the milk of the earth.

Did you know that some places in the u.s. are so full with oil that it's literally bubbling up out of the ground.

No drills just the earth bubbling up like a mother needing to be milked.

Milk her! If you really love the earth.

 

[my2¢]

I like how Paul defended the purpose of the EPA but stated that they need to confine their authority to that which they were given by Congress. At least that is what I thought his message was, the media guy seemed intent on playing got'cha.

Gotcha????

That is how it strikes me when Paul provided an answer and the interviewer slanted Paul's position in a way that was not at all suggested by what Paul just said.

 

[rightwinger]

LOL....great job by Rand

"Accidents do happen!"

 

[Old Rocks]

Keep that boy talkin'.