Florida Republicans Get Aggressive Against BP

On Monday, Bill McCollum claimed to be the first to call for a BP escrow fund (though that was quickly disputed by state Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, who said he floated the idea previously).

Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., called for BP American President Lamar McKay to quit.

"It's really outrageous that you sit here and tell us that you're going to punt to the unified command when we have 11 people killed, we've had huge environmental damage, and you're still sitting here as a CEO of BP," Stearns said at a congressional hearing.

"I'm not asking for an apology, I'm asking you to resign," the north Florida lawmaker said to applause.

On the other hand, a Wall Street Journal editorial today assailed the Obama administration and D.C. Democrats for political grandstanding and interventionism on the Gulf mess.

"We hope other politicians in the U.S. or U.K. begin to push back against a White House more concerned about its poll numbers than about the U.S. or Gulf Coast economies," the Journal stated.

The Journal might want to add a few Florida Republicans to its bill of indictment.