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AP Photo/Harry Hamburg
The most "honest, open, ethical Congress in history," as Nancy Pelosi calls it, stuffed a defense bill full of $4 billion in earmarks on Saturday while resisting efforts to clean up the process. And of course, the "post-partisan" candidate for "change" signed it into law.
As noted in the Wall Street Journal, the earmarks included:
- $18.9 million for the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the Senate, sponsored by Sen. John Kerry (D., Mass.);
- a $23 million item for the Hawaii Healthcare Network, sponsored by Senate appropriations Chairman Daniel Inouye (D., Hawaii);
- a $20 million appropriation for the National World War II museum in New Orleans, by Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu and Republican Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana;
- and $5 million for a Heritage Center at San Francisco's historic Presidio, an item included by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in her "community funding requests."
Never mind all those pesky little campaign promises about earmarks, lobbyists and changing the way things were done in Washington.
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