Palin was for 'Bridge to Nowhere'

John McCain has chosen governor of Alaska Sarah Palin as his running mate and potential vice-president. Palin, who in September 2007 rejected $233 million in Congressional funds for a bridge from Ketchikan, Alaska to an airport on Gravina Island (better known as "the bridge to nowhere"), has been criticized for supporting the bridge project during her 2006 Gubernatorial campaign.

Even though the money had been earmarked specifically for the construction of the bridge, in August 2007 Congress said the $233 million could be used by the state of Alaska for any purpose. On September 21, 2007 A press release from the Governors office said that since project costs had ballooned to $398 million the state would be considering alternatives to the bridge. Govern Palin said "we are about $329 million short of full funding for the bridge project, and it's clear that Congress has little interest in spending any more money on a bridge between Ketchikan and Gravina Island." Ironically, McCain points out wasteful spending as the main problem with the political process, proudly claiming that he never sought an earmark for Arizona.

Different media outlets have proven Palin's earlier support of the Ketchikan bridge. However, when McCain made a big deal of her rejection of the money for the project, which he called a pork-barrel project, Palin came under much criticism by Democrats and even a few Republicans, including Mike Elerding, who helped Palin in her running for governor in 2006. Palin, who was once "insulted" by the term "bridge to nowhere," referred to the project by that same name when she was officially introduced as McCain's vice-presidential choice. Although her evolution from supporter to detractor of the Ketchikan bridge was a slow and covert process, Palin's administration never gave back any of the money that was originally earmarked for the bridge project. Instead, that money was used in federal funds to build a road on Gravina Island that is supposed to link up to the bridge whenever it is built.

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Comments

[COps]

There were 2 Bridges to Nowhere. In a time of falling home prices, reduction in jobs, a natural gas crisis in the Anchorage MatSu area, a design firm linked to multi-national engineering and construction firms submitted a design 15 May 2007 for a bridge across the Knik Arm that would pay for itself, and generate a substantial portion of the electrical requirements for the area. It would also supply jobs for the construction and to run the tidal, wind, and solar generation facilities. It was also sent personally to the Governor. The design was buried, and they are going forward with a conventional bridge across Knik Arm ... at taxpayer expense.
Link http://samplesandassociates.com
All claims of developing renewable energy sources by Palin are simply false.
Also the media should simply take a look at the Alaska economy for the last two years ... that tells the story.
Palin promised a fresh approach to govt ... what Alaska got was simply more of the same.

[Yohomegirl]

Palin IS a bridge to nowhere!

[UrbanInterloper]

McCain seems to have found the perfect match in Palin. He too spoke in favor of several things in 2006 that he now speaks out against.

[grendl]

The bridge to nowhere should be used by the Obama campaign as a way to characterize the McCain presidency.

Because that's what George Bush has been building on the taxpayers dimes, with American lives.

Its a beautiful beautiful metaphor, which will of course be overlooked. Maybe Barack wants us to back off the bridge to nowhere talk too. Something about offending the families of pointless bridge builders everywhere.

Your need to look like a gentleman Mr. Obama is getting in the way of common sense. The right to life debate should not be swept under the rug, and pandering to religious groups kinda makes me question your angle on the separation of church and state. sitting with pastor Warren, while ostensibly a secular interview was really a kind of Spanish Inquisition in disguise, and your cow towing to religious right was and continues to be disgraceful.