GOP: “Our Earmarks Are Different”

The hypocrisy level reached new heights this week with the debate over the left-over budget bill from last year. Senator McCain launched an anti-earmark effort, trying to delete over 8500 pet projects that cost less than 2% of the bill. That amendment was turned back by a substantial margin, with both Democrats and Republicans rejected the measure.

But what is more amusing about this debate is the Congressional Record. Even as congressmen defend their local projects, they are writing into the Record about how awful the earmark system is.

And then there’s this gem: Senator Kyl, in defending the earmarks GOP lawmakers requested and his home-state colleague is leading the fight to take away, had a curious reason for the hypocrisy. He said, “I would suggest that they’re not earmarks under the definition, because we have a specific definition.”

In effect, he summed up the GOP position thusly: “Earmarks are bad. Democratic pet projects are earmarks. But GOP pet projects are not earmarks.”

And these guys wonder why no one believes them any more and don’t trust them to govern the country? Looks like they’ll be in the political wilderness for a lot longer than they are hoping. After all, a party lead by Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, and Bobby Jindal don’t exactly have “majority” written all over them.