Dueling Dems have Obama in earmark jam

By JONATHAN MARTIN | 3/5/09 4:24 AM EST

The view among top Democrats on the Hill can be translated as: Yes, bashing earmarks made for a good campaign talking point, especially in running against the spending-obsessed McCain. But don’t make us actually give up important projects for our districts and states at a time of deep economic need. After all, we know what is best for our constituents and, in any event, the money is going to be spent somewhere.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid may have put it most succinctly last week: “We cannot let spending be done by a bunch of nameless, faceless bureaucrats.”

So Obama now faces a question of how much of his political capital he wants to spend on a prerogative fiercely guarded by members of Congress. At a time when he’s facing major challenges in trying to revive the economy and pursue a new foreign policy, does he really want to agitate the old bulls in his own party over a process issue? continue