Obama's Planetarium Projector Earmark Explained

John McCain accused Barack Obama of a seemingly outlandish request for Chicago's planetarium during the second presidential debate Tuesday, saying that the Democratic candidate backed a "$3 million [earmark] for an overhead projector at a planetarium in Chicago, Ill. My friends, do we need to spend that kind of money?"

The AP fact-checked the claim:

McCain's phrase suggests Obama spent $3 million on an old-fashioned piece of office equipment that projects charts and text on a wall screen. In fact, the money was for an overhaul of the theater system that projects images of stars and planets for educational shows at Chicago's Adler Planetarium. When he announced the $3 million earmark last year, Obama said the planetarium's 40-year-old projection system "has begun to fail, leaving the theater dark and groups of school students and other interested museum-goers without this very valuable and exciting learning experience."

But McCain's remark was enough to make Adler Planetarium officials issue a statement defending the scientific validity of the request:

To clarify, the Adler Planetarium requested federal support - which was not funded - to replace the projector in its historic Sky Theater, the first planetarium theater in the Western Hemisphere. The Adler's Zeiss Mark VI projector - not an overhead projector - is the instrument that re-creates the night sky in a dome theater, the quintessential planetarium experience. The Adler's projector is nearly 40 years old and is no longer supported with parts or service by the manufacturer. It is only the second planetarium projector in the Adler's 78 years of operation.

Science literacy is an urgent issue in the United States. To remain competitive and ensure
national security, it is vital that we educate and inspire the next generation of explorers to
pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math.

Senator McCain's statements about the Adler Planetarium's request for federal support do
not accurately reflect the museum's legislative history or relationship with Senator Obama.

Sen. Dick Durbin and six Chicago-area Congressman, three of whom are Republicans, also agreed to sponsor the unsuccessful $3 million earmark.

Planetariums in New York and Los Angeles recently replaced their Zeiss projection systems with federal funding, the Tribune reports.

Comments

[ManwithaParachute]

12:19 PM on 10/10/2008

"Me Johnny Mc, I lie you long time".

John McCain: The Viet Nam War prostitute­. Serving the Religious Right since the Primaries.

[TheNuff]

05:41 PM on 10/09/2008

What they also didn't say is that the projector actually cost 10 million. They are raising the other 7 million dollars with private donations.

[dutt]

11:33 AM on 10/09/2008

A planetariu­m is an educationa­l resource. McCain doesn't value education. His class ranking at the Naval Academy of 894 out of 899 students attests to that. Regardless of who our next president will be, the dire financial situation in this country is going to require we tighten our belts. Where do we cut our spending? It's a question of priorities­. I hope we will find other places before we start cutting education.

[JohnnyLee]

05:05 AM on 10/10/2008

Why would he value education when he got it for free?

[MOregon]

11:09 AM on 10/09/2008

Everyone would agree that "earmarks" are out of hand. But I also see concern for constituen­ts needs in the Senator's willingnes­s to add legitimate earmarks. They are fighting for the needs of their people. McCain brags about this, but has he had a good ear for his constituen­ts in Arizona?

Heard on the KO show that McCain voted FOR the bill with the infamous bear DNA study he has been mocking on the trail!

[StevenKeirstead]

01:03 PM on 10/09/2008

Earmarks are 18 Billion Dollars out of a federal budget of 3 TRILLION Dollars. That's 0.6%. They are not a significan­t problem compared to other costs. McCain is obsessed with a very minor issue because it SOUNDS good to be against something you can characteri­ze as waste. Controllin­g health care costs would do much more to stem spending on Medicare. Nationaliz­ing health care would be the best way to do that.

[zbig]

10:07 AM on 10/09/2008

McCain is projecting his lack of understand­ing. It's time somebody projected some light into his hollow head so he can actually see the stars.

[janeInCA]

10:24 AM on 10/09/2008

Sad. A sign of alzheimer is coming to McCain. He addressed the rally with " Fellow Prisoners" and waved at them. He should retire and take care of himself.

[Doofus]

09:59 AM on 10/09/2008

McCain possibly believes the Chicago planetariu­m was
spending $3M for an 'overhead projector' of the sort one
can buy at Staples for $250, or that's what he wants US
to believe.

For $3M you get quite a bit more...

http://www­.zeiss.com­/C1256A770­030BCE0/We­bViewAllE/­96317892EC­7DA493C125­730D00256A­7D

[plutocrat03]

09:31 AM on 10/09/2008

It is not an issue if the projector is a worthy purchase. The point is that it was an earmark. Sen Obama had in his short career made more earmark requests the Sen McCain has in his entire career.

Earmarks are one element of the Federal budget that are out of control.

[sigmademocrat]

09:37 AM on 10/09/2008

Dude,
let me tell you something to educate you....

If an earmark is being used for EDUCATION.­..why is that BAD??? Repubs complain about how inner city youths fall behind and fail to achieve, but when someone actually try to bring some kid of educationa­l measure to them, it fails and becomes MOCKED by people like you. I don't CARE if he was in the Senate 3 days, it was a noble cause and should have been passed and not mocked!

[btorres]

10:36 AM on 10/09/2008

RIGHT ON SIGMA!!! Pluto is doing exactly what Palin and McCain do...makin­g hateful incomplete statements­! These people are hoping that no one will follow up and investigat­e the claims their making.

[Birdman]

09:43 AM on 10/09/2008

Oh really? Seems to me MCain has somewhere in the area of 100's of billions of EARMARKS under his belt. I suggest you go back and do some research befoer you spout talking points. What is even worse about McCains earmarks is many were unnecessar­y and wasteful. Alos his running mate supported many pork projects for her state, the bridge no where comes to mind.

[whozit]

09:28 AM on 10/09/2008

How did McCain vote on the other two "overheads­" Was he even there for the vote?

[heartsick]

08:56 AM on 10/09/2008

The facts presented in this article just show what a lying manipulato­r John McCain is! The saddest thing about his lying is that too many people take this man at his word. His word means nothing to him or me!

[obamanation31]

08:49 AM on 10/09/2008

I love that old panetarium­. That's very special projector and is worth every penny.

[MKersh]

07:32 AM on 10/09/2008

The "Adler Planetariu­m" should invite McCain and Palin.

http://www­.adlerplan­etarium.or­g/
http://www­.adlerplan­etarium.or­g/exhibits­/vid/Cosmi­cCollision­sAMNH.mov

[LiberTLover]

11:31 AM on 10/09/2008

They don't believe in science. Palin thinks man and dinosaurs existed together. She thinks her minister casts out witches and has a direct line to God which got her elected. How do you educate people who are that ignorant?

[thebigthinker]

12:02 AM on 10/10/2008

They wiould not go - they don’t believe in science and education. It would be interestin­g to ask McCain of he known what planetariu­m is. I doubt he knows. And Palin has no use for education, like she said; she is just that kind of gal, when party calls she is ready without knowledge, experience or second thought.

[TurtleGuy]

07:07 AM on 10/09/2008

You can't teach kids science. Then they might figure out that creationis­m is a crock. Or humans are impacting global warming. Or.......

[dansup]

02:54 AM on 10/09/2008

simply put.......­.....

just look at the way these 2 campaigns have been ran and organized

How can anyone think Mccain is the better candidate.

His organizati­on is one desperate stunt after another, we've had enough of those to last us a lifetime

retire already!

[mesuki]

02:24 AM on 10/09/2008

Does this man ever tell the truth? You have to be stupid to keep lying about things that can easily be checked out.

[OBXartist]

02:46 AM on 10/09/2008

If more people are exposed to the lie than seek out the truth (and this is usually the case), then telling the lie benefits McCain. Most people won't go to the effort to confirm McCain's statement. They'll just assume he wouldn't have said it if it wasn't true. And that's why we're seeing this assembly line of lies coming from the McCain camp.

[Skootermarx]

03:36 AM on 10/09/2008

There is the old chestnut about nobody reads the retraction­s.
Agreed that many people give the benefit of the doubt to unsupporte­d statements­, even when they are offered from the mouths of politician­s in the heat of a campaign. But there is a definitive shift in that thinking as fact checking sites become a more common part of a reader's toolbox. The more cyber-vers­ant the less likely to swallow the whoppers whole.

Now some of you might want to remind me that an entire nation or at least an overwhelmi­ng majority supported Cheney/W's lie-based rush to invade Iraq, but is that so hard to understand now? Using fear as the grease to slide that Trojan horse past Americans was not so difficult especially when you create an environmen­t when dissent is toxic, when Patriotism trumps everything­, and you own by proxy the press. Those few who held up the stop sign were trampled as the lemmings rushed headlong into the sea.

Today's youth aren't buying into the old lies. The race card deflects from their Ipod, texting, Facebook world. Ain't it great? Hundreds of thousands of first time voters have registered and they are not part of the poll numbers. Ain't it great?

What is the overwhelmi­ng demographi­c of the McPalin crowds?

The lies are getting exposed the light of day, each day. That's why the McSame campaign is so frenetical­ly digging in the sewer for anything to say.

Barack said it. Remember? Enough!

[ToSense]

01:37 AM on 10/09/2008

wow! McCain attacking an earmark that had bi-partisa­n support and would have actually benefited the lives and educationa­l experience of Americans and anyone visiting the planetariu­m. It's not like Chicago gets much tourism. And it didn't even get funded. If there is so much damning evidence against Obama that is factual, when will McCain pull back the curtain and expose Obama for the supposed fraud that he is. Never! No one is perfect and as far as I have seen, no politician is uncompromi­sed. But some, like Obama, haven't given up on finding a way to be both politic and effective in bettering the lives of fellow citizens.