By Bob Ruff and Carol Costello, CNN
(CNN) – Just last week, Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) told reporters there have been just too many congressional hearings on the Deepwater Horizons disaster.
“Well, this is Congress at its best. You know, why don’t we get the oil stopped? All right. Figure out what the hell went wrong, and then have the hearing and get the damn law fixed!”
How many hearings so far? We’ve been keeping track. As of Thursday night, 33 and counting—and it has only been two months. And that got us to wondering, are 33 hearings helping? Hurting? Do they matter at all?
The Thursday hearing that featured the man many consider BP’s top villain, Tony Hayward, was perhaps the mother of all the hearings so far. From 10 a.m. on, Hayward was on the hot seat, alone and silent for more than an hour while lawmakers let ‘em have it.
Here’s a sample:
Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI): “Mr. Hayward you will get life back and with a golden parachute back to England.”
Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA): “I don't want to know if you're distraught.”
Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY): “You're insulting our intelligence.”
Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX): “Is it true it's all about profit?”
Rep. Betty Sutton (D-OH): “It's unconscionable.”
It isn't the first hearing in which a BP executive has been, as Rep. Stupak described it, "fairly sliced and diced." On Tuesday, it was BP America's CEO Lamar McKay's turn. Right after Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL) asked McKay to resign, Rep. Joseph Cao (R-LA) did him one better:
“In the Asian culture we do things differently. During the Samurai days, we would just give you a knife and ask you to commit hara-kiri.”
After Katrina slammed into New Orleans August 19, 2005, there were 24 hearings in the four months that followed. In the two months after the BP disaster, there have been 33.
Larry Sabato, Director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, says “a big piece of the congressional hearing process is about attracting attention. It’s all about congressmen and senators getting themselves on television, especially in an election year.”
But it can backfire. Pure politics perhaps is why at the hearing Thursday Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) apologized to BP, even though the hearing was being held to figure out why oil is still spewing into the Gulf.
“I am ashamed of what happened at the White House yesterday,” he said referring to the agreement between the president and BP to have the company put aside $20 billion to compensate victims of the oil spill.
“I think it is a tragedy of the first proportion that a private corporation would be subjected to what I would characterize as a shakedown.”
Barton is from oil-rich Texas and feels the Obama administration should be on the hot seat too. He later retracted his "apology."
Still, there are those who insist these hearings do matter. Lee Hamilton, the former congressman and now president and director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, served as vice-chair of the 9-11 Commission. He told CNN that the congressional hearing “process is messy and imprecise…but it’s important lawmakers put witnesses on the spot…they are doing their job…”
And lawmakers on Thursday certainly tried. Although their "star witness" continued to maintain that safety is number one, he didn't really address those specific examples of when BP allegedly ignored safety for profit.
In fact, BP’s CEO had very little to offer the congressmen asking questions. In just one five-minute period he managed to avoid answering questions 13 times. Here’s a sample:
“I can't possibly know…”
“I can't recall.”
“…impossible for me to answer.”
“…can't recall.”
“…don't recall that either.”
Maybe Mr. Hayward and BP will respond differently at the next congressional hearing. Or not.
We want to know what you think. Have we had enough congressional hearings? Post your comments below.