There's plenty of blame to spread around to the subcontractors, including Haliburton, but as people have pointed out BP bears the primary responsibility.

To their credit BP executives have assured the public that they are also not going to hide behind the shield of $27 million in this instance.

However, the detailed reports that surfaced yesterday in hearings spell out that in this instance there were warnings that were ignored in basic problems with the "blow-out preventer" system prior to well eruption and pipe rupture:

1. pipe integrity problems indicated from pressure tests

2. a significant hydraulic leak in the ram driver system

3. a dead battery that was supposed to activate the so-called "deadman" trigger

4. evidently the ram drive the operators spent a day trying to use after the blowout was the one especially re-configured to test the system and was no longer operational for any other purpose.

I suppose that it's disturbing to some BP supporters that politicians in the US are racking them over the coals for this environmental disaster. But, gee, what the f**k should they expect? And in what way should politicians raising such questions in the House and Commerce Committee hearings be characterized as "bigots"?

Joe, please delete this self-indulgent thread. Two threads are more than enough.

And Mr. Bridge should apologize for initiating it.

Charley Noble