More on Criminal Prosecution of BP

Just wanted to add something more to my post on the Obama administration's threats to pursue criminal charges against BP.

No normal person would oppose genuine efforts to seek justice and obtain redress for the terrible destruction wrought by the oil spill.

What sets my teeth on edge is when criminal prosecution is used just for political purposes. Now, 43 days into the disaster, the Obama administration has realized that it needs to "distance" itself from BP (all the better to point fingers, and cast blame). So all of a sudden, it's not just going to pursue civil sanctions -- criminal prosecution is also on the table.

Trying to find the daylight between onself and a polluter is an understandable political goal -- but there's something distinctly creepy about using threats of criminal prosecution simply for political ends.

What's more, it isn't very smart. Ultimately, given the highly regulated nature of drilling, it's highly likely that BP got MMS approval for just about everything it's done. And how will it look if the Obama MMS signed off on everything BP did?