Eugene Robinson makes the point that Rep. Joe Barton’s apology to BP for the Obama administration’s “shakedown” was not a mistake, but an honest statement of an opinion shared by many conservatives: A GOP chorus of Joe Bartons on the BP oil spill.

Barton’s remarks were no spontaneous gaffe. They came in a prepared statement and represent his genuine view of the situation: that the rights of a private company are absolute even when weighed against the clear interests of the public.

While the party leadership has managed to squelch members of Congress who might have been tempted to weigh in on Barton’s side, the conservative amen chorus can’t help itself. Rush Limbaugh called the agreement on the $20 billion escrow fund “unconstitutional” and accused the administration of acting like “a branch of organized crime.” Newt Gingrich said the White House was “extorting money from a company.” Stuart Varney of Fox News claimed — falsely — that Obama had moved to “seize a private company’s assets” and complained that the action was “Hugo Chavez-like.” Weekly Standard Editor Bill Kristol said that “I have no sympathy for BP,” but then proceeded to be sympathetic, offering that “it’s not helpful for the country, for the economy as a whole, for the president to bully different companies and different industries.” I’d advise these people to get a grip, but they’re just saying what they believe. It just happens that what they believe is absurd.

And the fact that Barton has been allowed to keep his position atop the Energy and Commerce Committee by the GOP leadership, even after demonstrating he shouldn’t be trusted in that position, reinforces Robinson’s point.

Barton’s shameless sucking up to BP was utterly uncontroversial within the GOP; the only reason any of them complained at all was because they understood that it was politically damaging to do it in public.