Tough Talk

Just in time to answer his critics for not being passionate enough about the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Obama talks tough:

President Barack Obama says his talks with Gulf fishermen and oil spill experts are not an academic exercise. They're "so I know whose ass to kick."

Goodness me. Tony Hayward, CEO of BP, must be quakin' in his boots.

But not so fast. If Obama really does crack down on BP - whatever that means - he might be putting his chief of staff out on the street:

In case you were tempted to buy the faux Washington outrage at BP and its gulf oil spill in recent days, here's a story that reveals a little-known corporate political connection and the quiet way the inner political circles intersect, protect and care for one another in the nation's capital. And Chicago.

We already knew that BP and its folks were significant contributors to the record $750-million war chest of Barack Obama's 2007-08 campaign.

Now, we learn the details of a connection of Rahm Emanuel, the Chicago mayoral wannabe, current Obama chief of staff, ex-representative, ex-Clinton money man and ex-Windy City political machine go-fer.