Joe Barton apologizing for BP has been the talk of the media and beltway for the past several days, but Barton wasn’t alone. He was just saying what a lot of prominent GOPers are thinking, such as Bill Kristol:

Transcript via Think Progress:

WALLACE: Question Bill Kristol, is the President standing up to big business or is he bullying boardrooms?

KRISTOL: I think his own Interior Secretary said something about keeping his foot on the throat of BP, which doesn’t sound like standing up to anyone. It sounds like bullying. I have no sympathy for BP. We have an article in the Weekly Standard this week saying that BP should stand for “Beyond Pathetic.” I think it was the least responsible of the Big Oil companies. It has managed to handle itself pretty poorly even since the disaster let alone before. But it’s not healthy for the country, for the economy as a whole, for the President to bully different companies and different industries and I think it’s not helping us.

Welcome to the new meme, same as the old meme. Republicans view themselves as the “last defenders of big business”, and they don’t care if it destroys our environment or economy. With the oil leak exposing this dangerous view of the GOP, November should be a little easier on Democrats.