Lindsey Graham Contradicts Himself On Earmarks In Under A Minute

Moments after declaring that the country needs earmark reform, Sen. Lindsey Graham offered an arduous defense of his own, well, earmarking.

Appearing on NBC's Meet the Press, the South Carolina Republican was asked about his good friend John McCain's pork-focused critique of the omnibus spending bill that was held up in the Senate on Friday.

"We do need earmark reform," said Graham. "I wish [the president] would veto the bill, we'd get back together and come up with the earmark reform process."

Seconds later, however, Graham was reminded that he himself had inserted 37 earmarks in the legislation, including $950,000 for "a convention center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina."

After defending the transparency and necessity of such an expenditure, Graham finally finished the 180, saying of the Myrtle Beach funding: "I voted to take all earmarks out, but I will come back in the new process and put that back in."

In other words: earmarking is terrible, but I should have the ability to earmark.

To be fair, Graham -- like every other member of Congress who inserted pork into the omnibus -- had to do it publicly. Moreover, the number of earmarks has dropped significantly since Congress passed legislative changes to the process after Democrats regained control.

"Senator McCain does not object to members of Congress designating money to be spent in their state," Graham explained, "as long as it has a federal purpose, is transparent and its easy to understand what the money is going to be spent for."

Comments

[aicwebmaster]

03:55 PM on 03/10/2009

So John McCain's lapdog is nipping at his heels!

[Yarrr]

12:04 PM on 03/10/2009

What a lying liar.

[Hank10303]

11:52 AM on 03/10/2009

Contradicts himself - hardly. He lied. He said there needed to be earmark reform knowing he had, has, and will never sponsor any real measures, bills or legislation to alter, deminish or remove the earmark process from congress. LIAR

[bogues]

11:43 AM on 03/10/2009

I have said time and time again, the Republican party has taken hypocrisy to a whole new level. What this all boils down to is the Republican party pretending the election did not happen and going ahead with business as usual. They, McCain in particular want to be the ones who decide what pork and wasteful spending is and from Lindsey's remarks about his own earmarks, they plan to make sure it slants in Republican favor. We had an election. The American people voted the way they did because we do not want the Republicans making decisions for us anymore.

[iswideopen]

11:36 PM on 03/09/2009

Lindsay Grahm and the republican party=GOP of "no", we will not support President Obama, we want him to fail. All we want is what 'WE' want, even though we lost the election and even if America goes over the cliff. We want to be loved like President Obama. If we allow him to accomplish anything, for the "Americans that are suffering from the financial crisis", we won't win anymore elections soon. So, the only thing the republicans can do is bash President Obama and slam "earmarks". Next up, oppose, oppose, oppose. One nit pick issue at a time from now on.

Lindsay, you make your leader, Rush Limbaugh, very, very, proud.

[iswideopen]

11:39 PM on 03/09/2009

spellcheck----------------Lindsey Graham.

[Hank10303]

11:53 AM on 03/10/2009

who cares my hope is that he will be challenged and removed and forgotten

[Bubba Gump]

05:13 AM on 03/10/2009

You got that right! Too bad the GOP doesn't believe in "Country First."

[Hank10303]

11:53 AM on 03/10/2009

country first was a campaign ploy to get votes - don't believe the hype

[HesDanTheMan]

10:13 PM on 03/09/2009

What a DUFUS!

[CherryT]

08:12 PM on 03/09/2009

What a waste, we need roads, roads, and more roads in the Myrtle Beach area. We need work at our airport, you name it and we need it and what is he doing? Putting money in Burroughs and Chapins cofers by paying too much for land around our existing convention center.

[Hank10303]

11:55 AM on 03/10/2009

Corporate America wins again thanks in part to your House Rep. Graham

[CHolly327]

06:07 PM on 03/09/2009

As the late great Bobby once said..."Earmark just another word for nothin' left to lose" ...sing on Lindsey!

[jsgaetano]

05:18 PM on 03/09/2009

Smaller Gubment begins at home, Lindsey.

Turn down that Gubment money- it's EVIL!!! EVIL, I TELLS YA!!! Same thing with the "Porkulus" funds- your state don't want none of that neither.

Show us how Fiscal Conservatives do it. NOW is your chance to vindicate your "trickle down" viewpoint.

[Counterglow]

05:15 PM on 03/09/2009

Lindsay Graham is priceless: a perfect Butthead to McCain's equally-perfect Beavis.

[TomZart]

04:13 PM on 03/09/2009

Sen. Graham Is A Man of "INTEGRITY '

What Satan has planned for our harm
Integrity will transform to good.
Adhering to morals gives us peace
Teaching us to respond, as we should.

Sometimes we must go against the flow
Questioning what our shepherd’s may say.
For they are not God, only human
And for their integrity, we pray.

Though faith we can stay undiminished
Keeping ourselves entire and whole.
Avoiding human hate and mistrust
While struggling to preserve our soul.

With honor we obtain uprightness
And by love and compliance we gain grace.
Integrity gives us proper goals
Improving the standard of our race.

Those who laugh at the straight and narrow
Will not hear God's answer to their cry.
Those who yearn to earn their integrity
Must not steal, persecute or lie.

By Conservative Poet
Tom Zart
Most Published Poet
On The Web

TOM ZART’S RADIO POEMS

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of love, war, faith and more 24-7 on web radio at

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[LightShadow62]

03:47 PM on 03/09/2009

A two-faced politician. Is anybody really surprised?

[Forester]

03:00 PM on 03/09/2009

Oh Miss Linzee, you can change your little ol mind any old tam you want, thats part of your suthun charm.

[stondem]

02:43 PM on 03/09/2009

Funny, how quick will Obama break a campaign pledge when he signs this bill to law?

[LittlePurpleUSA]

02:47 PM on 03/09/2009

You = Fail

[Tiberious]

01:22 PM on 03/09/2009

Richard Shelby was caught in the same lie. It was shown that he had more Earmarks than any Senator , after he said he was against any Earmarks.!!!