Oily Customers

Executives of BP, Transocean and Halliburton appeared before Congress today to answer questions about the disastrous oil spill off the coast of Louisiana, which continues to gush. In a routine reminiscent of the Three Stooges, all three executives blamed one of the others for the failure in the Gulf:

"BP PLC told a Senate committee Tuesday its massive Gulf oil spill was caused by the failure of a key safety device made by another company. In turn, that company said BP was in charge, and that a third company that poured concrete to plug the exploratory well didn't do it right. The third company, which was plugging the well in anticipation of future production, says it was only following BP's plan."

Given this effort to weasel out of their responsibilities in the disaster, we're betting that this is just the beginning of endless actions by these predator companies to duck liability and avoid responsibility. That's why Congress should void any restrictions on monetary liability for this and future spills, and get answers -- by subpoena if necessary -- to their legitimate questions.

Make. Them. Pay.