Rep. Joe Barton's pitch to be Energy chairman: "put anything in my scope and I will shoot it"

Rep. Joe Barton will present his case tomorrow to be chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee. Rep. Fred Upton, Barton's rival for the job, also will appear before the GOP Steering Committee. However, a decision on who will run the committee won't be made until next week, according to a spokesman for Republican Leader John Boehner.

Barton, R-Arlington, is considered by some observers to only have an outside shot at becoming chairman, partly because of his apology to oil company BP during the oil-spill crisis. Nonetheless, he has run an aggressive campaign to get the job, and when asked, has said his colleagues have gotten over the BP matter. In numerous op-eds and speeches, he has promised to repeal the health law, undercut EPA climate rules, and block FCC regulation of the Internet.

He'll emphasize those points to Steering Committee members on Tuesday, according to a copy of his presentation. The crux of his pitch appears to be that only Barton is ready to chair the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee, a key venue for dueling with the Obama administration. Comparing himself to George Patton, Barton's presentation proclaims: "I want to be George Patton -- put anything in my scope and I will shoot it."

Source: http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/11/rep-joe-barton-to-plead-case-f.html

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