Why BP Is Not Toyota (BP, GS, TM)

(TheStreet) -- One thing has become especially clear watching the BPBP saga over the last two-and-a-half months: BP isn't Toyota. The British oil giant is far removed from the consumer in its dirty business of exploring, accessing and selling oil, and its public perception has relatively little impact on its business. But we've been so deeply engaged in the story of the Macondo oil spill -- and its environmental and economic impact on the Gulf -- that most of us have mistakenly translated that consumer outrage into perception of share value, as we did with ToyotaTM and even Goldman SachsGS. The public just doesn't matter much in the pollution business, which to be quite frank, is the business of BP. And the recent quarter report proves this. It might also prove just how good a value BP shares, and many of the other integrated oil companies still to report this week, may still be. To read the rest, head over to TheStreet.com