A Wide Brush
You would think that President Obama giving the first Oval Office address of his presidency would be the rhetorical highlight of the week. However, Republican tone-deafness on the oil spill and BP’s responsibility to pay for cleanup efforts and the loss of business and habitat for Gulf Coast residents has been, in a word, alarming. Although Joe Barton’s “shakedown” comment and apology to BP was the apex of Republican missteps, similar sentiments were expressed by several conservative figureheads including Dick Armey, Michelle Bachman, Newt Gingrich, and…