my "side" as you put it wasnt even addressed by either the republicans or the democrats and I discussed at length here how it should be done. As a reminder the last time I voted for a republican was for reagan.
As for MMS a reform has been overdue for years and if a reform had been done, and the well blew anyway I dont think the head of the agency would have taken a whitewater rafting trip during the first 3 days of the spill. He might have even thought about doing his job, you know the thingy they give you money in exchange for