GOP: Obama exploits BP crisis to push political agenda

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) Delivers Weekly GOP Address On The Gulf Oil Spill

In the Weekly Republican Address, Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker expresses his disappointment that President Obama's response to the catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico "has been too slow."

Sen. Wicker says, "After visiting with [the president] in Mississippi, I was optimistic that he was removing politics from this disaster and focusing solely on fixing the problem.... Unfortunately, we were disappointed. In less than a day, we were reminded of Rahm Emanuel's theory of never letting a good crisis go to waste. In his speech Tuesday night, President Obama made it clear that he intends to exploit this crisis to push his liberal agenda for a cap-and-tax scheme. This is a disservice not only to the victims and their families but also to the millions of Gulf Coast residents who are struggling in the wake of the spill."

Sen. Wicker also criticizes BP, saying, "BP CEO Tony Hayward recently said he wanted his life back and later correctly apologized. BP put dollars before safety, and we are all paying the price. We have been told that BP will be held accountable and pay all damages."

"But," he adds, "what we in the Gulf states really need is to have our way of life back. We want our jobs back, our economy back, and we need our tourists back. So please come and visit us."