Rep. Steve King Says Barton's "Shakedown" Statement Was "Spot-On"

The Washington Post's Greg Sargent reports that Rep. Steve King (R-IA) is still struggling to explain his assertion that President Obama favors minorities over whites by "default."  In an interview on Laura Ingraham's radio show, King accused PoliticalCorrection.org of misrepresenting his original comments, even while reaffirming his position that President Obama chooses sides based on race (see here and here).  

What's more, the conservative firebrand appears to have stepped in it once again — this time by defending Rep. Joe Barton's (R-TX) apology to BP.  Republican leaders are actively distancing themselves from Barton, but King went off-script, saying it was "spot-on" to describe the $20 billion fund secured by the White House as a "shakedown." He also denounced the "unjust" pressure brought on Barton to retract his remarks:

"I think Joe Barton was spot-on when he called it a 'shakedown.' That's part of this administration's process," King said Monday on the conservative Laura Ingraham radio show.

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King lashed out at his party's leadership for that pressure and said he blamed staff for the leaks.

"I think the leverage brought on Joe Barton by, I'll say, the conference was unjust. I think he should've been able to stand there and let his remarks stand and make his own decisions," the Iowa conservative said. "And the things that leaked out from the staff, I think should cause real discussion within our own conference, and I believe it will."

It's hardly surprising that King would side with BP over the Obama administration, but this isn't the first time the Iowa Republican has been insensitive to devastation wrought on the Gulf region.  Last fall, King boasted that opposing aid for Hurricane Katrina victims was his "best vote" ever.