Bloomberg Defends BP’s Chief

George W didn’t exactly “go down there” and blow up the Twin Towers either! But he was still responsible!

So I just had this big realization that politicians and CEOs and other dirty rat bastards should have "middle names" like Mafia hitmen do.

“The guy that runs BP, (Tony “this is a very big ocean – I’d like my life back” Hayward), didn’t exactly go down there and blow up the well… BP should be left alone until the recovery operation is complete. If you want him to fix it and they’re the only ones with the expertise, I think I might wait to assign blame till we get it fixed." -- Michael “the bashing of Wall Street is something that should worry everybody” Bloomberg.

Story at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/12/nyregion/12defend.html?src=me

The gaffe-prone Mr. Hayward has emerged as a favorite punching bag of critics. He once tried to play down the environmental damage caused by the spill, saying the gulf was “a very big ocean.” He apologized to families of those killed in the explosion after he said, “I’d like my life back.”

David Goldston, director of government affairs for the Natural Resources Defense Council in Washington, took issue with the mayor’s remarks. “There are still clear indications that BP is not being as responsible or responsive as it should be,” he said. “This is not a question of the extent to which the C.E.O. or company is responsible for the initial event.”

It was not the first time Mr. Bloomberg, who owns an eponymous media company, had leapt to the defense of his business brethren. In April, as President Obama stepped up his attack on financial firms and sought to end risky trading practices, the mayor warned that “the bashing of Wall Street is something that should worry everybody.”

And in 2006, Mr. Bloomberg drew criticism after he publicly praised the performance of Consolidated Edison in the midst of a nine-day blackout in Queens.