How Long Can Mississippis Governor Keep Downplaying The Oil Spill?
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R) has been a man apart in his low-key response to the catastrophic oil leak still gushing in the Gulf of Mexico. Barbour, a former Chairman of the Republican National Committee, has consistently insisted that pretty much every reaction to the spill has been an overreaction. Barbour originally claimed several times that the spill “isn’t anything like Exxon Valdez.” (He was right, it’s much worse.) He has appeared on television and gone out of his way to praise both BP and the government’s efforts: “BP has never said no to any request,” he told CNN, while “the federal government, whether it’s the Coast Guard or whomever, has worked hard with us.” And he has compared washed up oil to “caramel-colored mousse” and “toothpaste.” Barbour has repeatedly blasted the media for hurting his state’s tourism with reports that make the spill sound “like this is Armageddon.” He told a local newspaper that cancellations at hotels and other attractions were “are at a rec
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