oil-covered foot in mouth

did you guys hear about the BP spokesman who referred to gulf residents affected by the life-ruining oil spill as the "small people"?

“We care about the small people. I hear comments sometimes that large oil companies, or greedy companies, don’t care. But that is not case in BP, we care about the small people.” (via)

how rude.

This evening, Mr. Svanberg issued a statement saying he was “very sorry” for speaking “clumsily.”

“What I was trying to say — that BP understands how deeply this affects the lives of people who live along the Gulf and depend on it for their livelihood — will best be conveyed not by any words but by the work we do to put things right for the families and businesses who’ve been hurt,” the statement said. (via)