McCain on the "right number" of Pork Barrel Earmarks

Check out the CAGW's Scorecard for '08 Lawmaker Candidates.

On January 1, Sen. McCain issued his response to CCAGW, stating that “Zero is the right number of earmarks.” He also said, “As president, my agencies will never have to struggle to understand Congress’ earmarking intentions. I will veto every single pork barrel bill Congress sends to my desk. If Congress continues to send them to me, I will use the bully pulpit to make the people who are wasting our tax dollars famous.”

An examination of the Heritage Foundation’s database of the earmarks in the fiscal 2008 omnibus appropriations bill revealed the total number received by Presidential candidates from the Senate and House: Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), 261; Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), 57; Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.), 52; Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), 46; Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), 10; Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), 9, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), 6; and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), 0.

McCain has ZERO earmarks. Yes, Libertarians, less than Ron Paul. Here is the text of his response in case you don't have Adobe:

The Democratic-controlled Congress recently sent the President an omnibus spending bill that is just more business as usual in Washington. Democrats claimed they’d “reform” Washington; but a review of the bill, which contained over 9000 earmarks totaling billions in wasteful spending, reveals the truth.

That bill is now the law of the land – and a national embarrassment. It is time to send Washington a message: No Earmarks. Not 9,000. Not 1. Zero. Zero is the right number of earmarks, and no is always the answer to wasteful spending.

Since Ronald Reagan left office, government spending adjusted for inflation has increased $2,500 for every man, woman and child in the country. Wasteful spending has gone from irresponsible to indefensible. And we’re not spending it on programs that are any more effective than they were twenty years ago.

I have fought against waste and pork barrel spending for years. It has often been a lonely fight, but a good one, and one I intend to continue as president. I am grateful for all the work the Citizens Against Government Waste has done to expose wasteful spending in Washington.

The presidency has many powers. One of the most useful is the veto pen. I believe the president should have the line item veto as 43 governors have, and I will continue the fight to get it. But I will not wait for it. As president, my agencies will never have to struggle to understand Congress’ earmarking intentions. I will veto every single pork barrel bill Congress sends to my desk. If Congress continues to send them to me, I will use the bully pulpit to make the people who are wasting our tax dollars famous.

The time has come for Washington to devote valuable taxpayers’ dollars on genuine national priorities.

I believe the man. I'll bet he buys that veto pen with his own salary at the corner drugstore. Vetoes and a bully pulpit well-used would beat a "new tone in Washington" any day of the week.