By TOM RAUM
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON – The month-old oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico has unleashed a gusher of congressional hearings that may prove nearly as hard to cap as the blown BP well.
In an election year rife with political posturing, the spill from the April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig is proving an easy target for lawmakers, whose fears of being swept out of office by an anti-incumbent wave were reinforced by Tuesday’s batch of primaries.
The blowout and the ensuing giant oil leak gave rise to 10 congressional hearings over the past two weeks. Five more are scheduled for this coming week, and at least five more are on tap in June. President Barack Obama is naming a special independent commission to review the accident.