Millbank weeps for extreme rightwing Republican who tried to take on Murtha's earmarks

[BurtWorm]

Oddly enough, though Murtha is clearly the villain of the piece for being a masterful procurer of pork, Millbank's tears are flowing because Murtha threatened to cut off his Republican hero's pork supply.

Here's a portrait of Millbank's hero (sample: "Rogers' grotesque role in the Republican Culture of Corruption goes way beyond the tainted funds he has received from crooks like DeLay, Boehner, Blunt and Team Abramoff (around $50,000). Rogers is one of the most bought-off politicians by Big Business of any congressman of either party. And he serves their interests well-- much to the detriment of his central Michigan constituents.")


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/22/AR2007052201394.html?nav=rss_politics

The truly excellent earmarker can make a career of it, as demonstrated by Rep. Jack Murtha (D-Pa.), the "cardinal" who presides over the powerful Appropriations defense subcommittee. He secured more than $200 million for his pet projects in the 2006 fiscal year alone, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense, a watchdog group.

For reasons unfathomable to most of his colleagues, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) saw something wrong with this arrangement. So last week, he did something crazy: He tried to take away one of Murtha's earmarks.

The earmark in question was a $23 million gift to the National Drug Intelligence Center, which happens to be in Johnstown, Pa., in Murtha's district. Rogers, a former FBI agent, tried to strike Murtha's money with a "motion to recommit." Naturally, it failed. Murtha kept his earmark -- and Rogers got his ears cuffed.

...

To nobody's surprise, the House voted to table Rogers's resolution, 219 to 189. Only two Democrats dared to jeopardize their earmarks by voting against Murtha: Jim Cooper of Tennessee and Earl Blumenauer of Oregon. Only one Republican took Murtha's side in the dispute -- Tim Murphy, whose Pennsylvania district is uncomfortably near Murtha's.

"It's unfortunately what I expected," the vanquished Rogers said in the Speaker's Lobby after the vote. "It's no wonder Americans hold us in such low regard."

Then he let slip that he has "four or five" earmark requests pending before Murtha's subcommittee. Are those earmarks gone, now and forever? Rogers smiled. "Forever's a long time," he said.

[BobRossi]

1. KKK museum?

Rogers represents Michigan's KKK playground.