McCain Unloads on Democrats' $1.1 Trillion Omnibus Bill

Guy Benson | December 15, 2010 8:58 AM

Greg posted a snippet of Sen. McCain's remarks last night, but I thought the speech was good enough to share in its totality, so consider this an encore. Say what you will about John McCain -- the man truly loathes earmarks and wasteful spending, so Senate Democrats' 2,000 page, larded up spending bill -- laden with untold goodies for appropriators' states -- is right in his wheelhouse. Swing and a drive...

The must-see-tv portion of this clip runs from 1:30 to 3:00, when McCain tears into Democrats for willfully ignoring the clear message sent by voters on Election Day.

"The American people said just 42 days ago, 'enough!' Are we tone deaf? Are we stricken with amnesia?"

The ornery contempt is palpable, Maverick. Well done.

Over on the House side, Mr. (almost) Speaker is cunningly challenging the president to veto the omnibus bill if it passes. And why shouldn't he? After all, The One has made quite an ostentatious show of his supposed opposition to earmarks, dating all the way to the election. Let's also recall that a few short weeks after he was inaugurated, president reluctantly signed an "imperfect" $410 Billion omnibus spending bill that was packed with thousands of earmarks. At the time, it was deemed an emergency and a necessary evil. What might be his excuse for signing an even larger porky pig of an omnibus fully 21 months later? Allahpundit runs down the lame possibilities. RedState has posted the full bill and is encouraging readers to comb through the document to identify the pet projects. It's much like a treasure hunt, except the "prize" at the end is discovering just how much of our money the already-broke federal government is wasting. That's no fun, but

$247,000 - Virus free grapes in Washington State
$413,000 - Peanut research in Alabama
$125,000 - Fishery equipment for the Guam Fisherman’s Cooperative Association
$349,000 - Swine waste management in North Carolina
$277,000 - Potato pest management in wisconsin
$246,000 - Bovine tuberculosis treatment in Michigan and Minnesota
$522,000 - Cranberry and blueberry disease and breeding in New Jersey
$500,000 - Oyster safety in Florida
$400,000 - Solar parking canopies and plug-in electric stations in Kansas
$165,000 - Maple syrup research in Vermont

(Thanks to James Richardson for the tip).