[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/05/12/art.oil.testify.congress.jpg caption="Oil company executives testified before Congress yesterday about the Gulf oil spill."]
Tom Foreman | BIO
AC360° Correspondent

Reporter's Note: Congressional leaders are harrumphing over the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, promising to get to the bottom of it and hold some folks accountable. I’ll wager they have a better chance of holding their breath and getting to the bottom of the Gulf itself. Ha! Here is my latest letter to the White House.

Dear Mr. President,

You know that I am an optimistic sort. You know that I try to have faith in my government, the basic goodness of people, the integrity of business, and the idea that the guy on the corner might actually take that dollar to buy a sandwich instead of a beer. But I can tell you right now I have zero faith that all the companies involved in the Gulf oil spill will actually be held accountable before all of this is over.

It’s just not going to happen.

I was watching the Congressional hearings into the spill, and listening to all the company reps saying they want robust investigations, to live up to their responsibilities, and yadda yadda yadda; and I thought, “Yea, when pigs fly.” I know, I’m getting too cynical. But did you hear the rest of what they had to say? Despite insisting that no one should jump to any conclusions about what happened, each of the main companies involved could not resist adding, “Uh, but in the meantime…you know, those OTHER guys are probably the real culprits here.”

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