Rep. Barton Apologizes For His "Misconstrued Misconstruction"

Earlier today, Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) ignited a firestorm when he apologized to BP's Tony Hayward for the alleged "shakedown" the company endured from the White House.  The comments divided Republican lawmakers, with several — including the House Republican Leadership — renouncing Barton's comments.  Now, Barton has issued something of an apology, albeit a weak one, for his statement this morning:

"I want to be absolutely clear that I think BP is responsible for this accident, should be held responsible and should in every way do everything possible to make good on the consequences that have resulted from this accident," he said. "And if anything I said this morning has been misconstrued to the opposite effect I want to apologize for that misconstrued misconstruction."

[...]

"I apologize for using the term 'shakedown' with regard to yesterday's actions at the White House in my opening statement this morning, and I retract my apology to BP," he said. "...I regret the impact that my statement this morning implied that BP should not pay for the consequences of their decisions and actions in this incident."