More Capitol Hill hijinks

The latest hyperbole uttered in Washington D.C. comes in the wake of the massive oil spill currently having its way with the Gulf of Mexico.  The background: executives from 5 major oil companies were hauled in front of Congress so representatives could flap their wings investigate the situation.  One congressman had some interesting words for BP America Chairman Lamar McKay:

Rep. Joseph Cao (R., La.), who emigrated from Vietnam, said: "In the Asian culture, we do things differently. During the samurai days, we just give you a knife and ask to you commit harakiri."

For those readers who may not be experts in Asian cultures, harakiri is a form of seppuku, which is a ritual suicide, historically performed by samurai.  While it's hard to deny that BP screwed up big time, it might be a little extreme to say they should just pull the plug on one of the largest companies in the world.

However, Mr. Cao's words do have an interesting ring.  According to Wikipedia, "seppuku was used voluntarily by samurai to die with honor rather than fall into the hands of their enemies."  Given the fact that the Obama administration is trying to throw its weight around (most notably by blackmailing them into suggesting that they suspend their dividend and contribute $20 billion to a relief fund) with BP, maybe they should fall on their sword rather than become another US government experiment gone awry.