Associated Press: With millions of dollars invested in campaign donations and an all-star lobbying team, BP executives could give an advanced class in how to build influence in Washington. But with millions of gallons of leaking oil bearing down on Gulf Coast beaches and bayous, they could also teach how to lose it. Even pro-oil Republicans — whose 2008 vice presidential nominee, Sarah Palin, made "Drill, Baby Drill!" a party rallying cry — are demanding answers. At least for the moment, it appears …