Joe Barton's BP Apology Could Be 'Game-Changing'

GOP congressman Joe Barton's apology to BP remains the buzz of the day. See earlier summary here and a video of his statement in the gallery:

• Greg Sargent, Plum Line: "The challenge for Dems, though, is to elevate the story beyond Barton's ridiculous comments and build a larger narrative about the Republican Party's solicitousness towards Big Oil during and before the crisis. ... It's hard to see how this story's potency goes away."
• David Weigel, Right Now: He's "saying what the leading edge of tea partyers and conservatives are saying—no matter whether it's good politics, his first worry about the response to the disaster is that it will empower the federal government."

• Nate Silver, FiveThirtyEight: "Making matters worse for Barton is the identity of the top contributor to his election campaigns. Since 1989, it has been the company Anadarko Petroleum, from which he's received $56,500 in PAC donations and another $90,000 in individual contributions."
• Steve Benen, Washington Monthly: "We'll see if Barton is forced to walk back his apology, but at this point, his remarks may be one of the year's game-changing moments."