Posted on 03/05/2009 7:19:55 AM PST by slomark
[watch video]
During the presidential campaign, the compliant liberal press believed every word Barack Obama said. Or at least they pretended they did. They assured us that when their man was elected president, he would do as he promised by eliminating earmarks and emasculating lobbyists.
Oops. Turns out there are 9,000-some earmarks in the “stimulus” bill. And lobbyists go to see the document before members of the House and Senate did.
John McCain doesn’t like it and went ballistic on the floor of the senate yesterday. “If it sounds like I’m angry,” he roared, “it’s because I am.”
His anti-earmark oratory was the kind of speech that’s rarely heard in the Senate. McCain hurled invective at President Obama, Democrats and Republicans and he used words that are equally rare in the Washington, DC gentlemen’s club known as the U.S. Senate.
“I just went through a campaign, Mr. President, where both candidates promised change in Washington, promised change from the wasteful, disgraceful, corrupting practice of earmark, pork-barrel spending,” McCain seethed. “So what are we doing here? Not only business as usual, but an outrageous insult to the American people.”
If the Arizona Republican had shown this kind of fire on the campaign trail, he might be president today.
Watch the entire five-minute video. For once, John McCain seems a lot more like “Mr. Smith goes to Washington” and a lot less like Captain Queeg.
“Any way the wind blows, doesn’t really matter, to me.”
McCain can be annoying, frustrating, and exasperating when it comes to conservative issues.
But when it comes to “good government”, the man is a veritable bulldog.
MY WORDS EXACTLY...
Why did he not RIP the O last year? ? ? ? ? ? A little too late now....
He didn’t rip the O last year because last year he wasn’t angry. Last year he thought O would actually be a good president and it wouldn’t make too much difference if he won. Last year he was busy doing the usual Republican pratfall: trying to be nice to the Democrats so they’ll like us and stop being mean.
Senator McCain is now breaking his own rule of “never, ever speak ill of Obama”.
I thought the issue was now the budget, not the stimulus bill. Which is it?
mccain’s eyes look like ‘lil orphan annie.
I hear he is also preparing a significant statement denouncing crime.
Not only no, but he!! no. This is the man that told America we had nothing to fear from Obama being elected POTUS. I don't believe a word that McCain says. He'll probably turn right around a vote for the next spending fiasco that contains only 3 or 4 thousand earmarks.
oh give me a break.....he knew, just like thousands of others knew, what Zero was....he just didn't have the guts, power, will, or strenght to rip anyone. That is exactly why he lost.....
GO Back to SLEEP “McSTOOGE”..........you are about as interesting as yesterdays NEWSPAPER.
WE are all tired of hearing you speak out of both sides of your mouth.
Move to Mexico where you belong.
Way to late to make a difference. I’m sure that The One ios just laughing his head off at how easy it was to pull this off.
He ran back to Washington to sign that bloated bailout during the campign riddled in earmarks. Forgive me if I laugh at his supposed conviction on the issue.
I seriously do hope that an actual conservative can successfully defeat McCain, because that should of already been done years ago! All “RINO damage” is truly severe and truly long-term!
Though McCain is not my favorite person in Washington, he can be quite passionate about things he believes he’s right about. I think that he didn’t go after 0 because he might have actually believed 0 would follow through with his promises. McCain could be quite useful in rallying public opinion against 0 with rants like this. I take what I can get from McCain most days, it’s true he is no conservative. But when it comes to honest government, there aren’t a lot of people who are more passionate about it.
Also, believe me I am in the same boat as those who have no love for McCain. However, a wise man once said to me, don’t make the perfect the enemy of the good. And McCain taking a piece out of 0’s and the libs hides is a GOOD thing.
My inclination would be to sign on to legislation or rules banning the use of earmarks, but to use them for my constituents so long as other districts or states are getting those funds, too. Why should Rangel's people get government pork while my district does not? I'd work hard to get rid of pork for Rangel and for me, and explain my position to my constituents.
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