Flake then forced votes on pet Murtha projects -- starting with "something called the Concurrent Technologies Corp." in Johnstown. In the brief time at his disposal, Flake tried to explain to an inattentive House how the company survives as an "incubator" for earmarks "just by getting more earmarks." He next challenged a $39 million earmark for the National Drug Intelligence Center in Johnstown, which the Pentagon does not need or want. Murtha was coldly dismissive, denying the reality that these no-bid awards do not allow taxpayers to recapture any benefit that the corporations derive from federal expenditures.
Other Democrats were silent during the sham debate. Nearly every one voted with Murtha, Speaker Nancy Pelosi's powerful lieutenant -- fearful of reprisal against their own spending schemes. Rep. Jim Cooper, a moderate from Tennessee, was the only Democrat consistently voting against the earmarks.
Republicans split so that motions by Flake and Campbell lost overwhelmingly. House Minority Leader John Boehner voted against most earmarks, but did not make it a party issue as the rest of the GOP leadership backed Murtha. Two former Republican chairmen of the Appropriations Committee -- Jerry Lewis of California and Bill Young of Florida -- eagerly joined the debate on Murtha's side. Lewis, one of the House members under Justice Department investigation, defended one of his own earmarks and treated Flake with sneering contempt for wasting the House's time.
Flake lacked the time he needed on the House floor to explain complicated interlocking relationships with contributors who benefit from Murtha's earmarks. Claims of transparency are meaningless when all earmarks survive amid inattention from the news media. But few Republican congressmen are frustrated by GOP complicity as the House of Representatives fast becomes the House of Corruption. Joined by a few like-minded senators, they contemplate publicly repudiating their party leaders.