Friday, March 6, 2009

Fine with me! Hutchison defends earmarks

Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison isn't just giving Gov. Rick Perry an early Christmas present -- she's handing him the tree, mistletoe, and exclusive rights to monetary compensation on all cultural references to Santa Claus.

"I do think that earmarks are a legitimate role of Congress. I don't think that we should be earmarking things that do not have a national interest. Can it be overdone? Yes. Should it be transparent? Yes. But that is the role of Congress, to determine how we spend money."

(ea) The raison d'etre of earmarking is to slip in projects that aren't in the national interest.

It's a rough paragraph for KBH, one that Perry will likely rinse and repeat over the course of the campaign.

Says his spokesman:

"Sounds like Washington double-speak."

And Perry doesn't just have the Hutchison gaffe; he's got that new Taxpayers for Common Sense database, in which his rival for the governor's mansion ranks 22nd in total earmark dollars racked up.

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