there is no way that Collins, Specter or Snowe voted in favor of 9,000 earmarks. I mean, they’re part of the ‘fiscally conservative, socially moderate’ wing of the GOP who are the saviors of our party because they will save us from those socially conservative neandrethals that are keeping us from being a majority party. I mean, ask David Brooks for heaven’s sake. He’s an expert at assessing politicians’ intents.

I’m thinking that you must have misread the vote tallies and that it was really Coburn, Kyl, Inhofe and Demint who voted in favor of this abomination because, after all, they’re from the wing of the party that cares only about social issues and continually screw over the fiscally conservative wing of the party. Please check your facts again, please.

Snark….off.

Earmarks. John McCain the campaigner said he would make those who used them “famous.” Today he at least railed against the earmarks on the Senate floor (it might have been yesterday). But that’s not enough, based on what he said when in “campaign mode.” Describing wasteful earmarks is one thing, naming the earmarkers by name is another. I did not hear him name any earmarker by name. Maybe he did — I did not hear his full remarks. Can’t make them famous if they remain nameless.

I expected his staff to have a list of the earmarkers on his Senate web site. Nope. The staffer I talked to didn’t seem to think it was all that important. Didn’t know whether a list was being prepared for the web site.

I realize the earmarks only make up about 2 per cent of the overall $400 B + budget bill, but I believe earmarks resonate with taxpayers now. 9,000 earmarks, 40 per cent of which, I also read, were inserted by Republicans. Money just snatched out of thin air for pet projects for cronies. McCain at least did use the word “corruption” in his remarks.

I think McCain could win reelection easily, both in any primary contest and in the general election, if he were to famously make the earmarkers, Republicans and Democrats alike, famous. I told his staffer that today, too. If he fails to name names (I know, I know, someone else might do it, but the point is McCain said HE would do it), I told them I would try to make him famous (infamous, really) for being too timid to carry out his campaign pledge to “make them famous.” Already at least one conservative Republican here in AZ has announced he will be running for McCain’s seat. I’ve met him. Good guy. I’ll talk to him about this.