Obama Longest Supporter of "Bridge to Nowhere" of all the Presidential Candidates
Of all the presidential candidates, Barack Obama has the longest track record of supporting the "Bridge to Nowhere" -- he supported it before Sarah Palin even ran for governor. In 2005, Barack Obama voted for the final Highway Reauthorization Bill that included $223 million for the "Bridge to Nowhere."
Unlike John McCain who instantly highlighted the "Bridge to Nowhere" in a press release the day the bill was passed, Barack Obama did not have the political courage to stand up to wasteful earmarks and only did when he started to run for president. Barack Obama's most egregious support for the "Bridge to Nowhere" came in October 2005 when he voted against stripping $125 million in funding from the bridge to fund rebuilding a bridge in New Orleans. When Governor Palin was presented with a similar choice, she chose to kill the bridge. When Barack Obama had to choose, he voted to build the bridge.
http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/09/mccain_memo_defends_palin_on_b.php
McCain Memo Defends Palin On Bridge, Earmarks
10 Sep 2008 04:50 pm
The McCain campaign doesn't respect the media, doesn't particularly care to feed the media, but they can't help but attempting to set the record straight in a traditional way: the blast memo. Now -- it seem fairly clear now that Palin did not oppose the Bridge to Nowhere when doing so would have damaged her standing politically, and certainly did not oppose Congress. McCain has a good record on earmarks; Palin's is undeniably mixed.
TO: Interested Parties
RE: Smear Machine Rolls On: Governor Palin And Earmarks
DATE: September 10, 2008
"Gov. Palin recently cancelled the Gravina Island Bridge near Ketchikan that would have connected the Alaska mainland with Gravina Island (population: 50)."
-- Alaska Democratic Party
Over the last few days, the Obama campaign has politically maneuvered to attack Governor Sarah Palin for killing a controversial project -- the "Bridge to Nowhere." This maneuvering has been skillful in light of Barack Obama's record of requesting nearly $1 billion in earmarks and actually voting to support the "Bridge to Nowhere" himself. It is no wonder that the Obama campaign would seek to distort the facts because Governor Palin is someone who will stand in the way of Barack Obama's wasteful earmark spending habits.
Please find the facts below:
· Despite the Obama campaign's claims, Governor Palin consistently opposed the "Bridge to Nowhere" once she was in office and officially stopped it. In December 2006, Governor Palin proposed her first budget for Alaska which included no state funding for the "Bridge to Nowhere." As she said at the time, "We have a limited pot of money, of course, and we need to make wise, sensible choices." In a report prepared by her transition team, the "Bridge to Nowhere" was criticized "as a severe drain on resources." Furthermore, the report concluded that the State's transportation plan relied too heavily on federal earmarks. The final 2007 budget contained no state funding for the "Bridge to Nowhere." In 2007, Governor Palin killed the bridge project.
· The Democrats' claim that the project was only canceled after federal funding dried up is also wrong. The money was left with the state to decide whether to spend money on the "Bridge to Nowhere" or other projects. Governor Palin could have decided to spend money on the "Bridge to Nowhere" but instead canceled the project.
· Congressional Quarterly: "It Is Not Inaccurate For Palin To Say She 'Stopped The Bridge To Nowhere.'" "She ended up firmly against it. And while there may have been other contributing factors, it is not inaccurate for Palin to say she 'stopped the Bridge to Nowhere.'" (Jonathan Allen, "Four Things You Need To Know About The 'Bridge To Nowhere,'" CQ, 9/9/08)
· Non-Partisan PolitiFact.com: "It's True That On Sept. 21, 2007, Palin Officially Killed The Project." (St. Petersburg Times/CQ's PolitiFact.com, "On Support For The Bridge To Nowhere," Politifact.com)
· Even According To The Alaska Democrat Party, Governor Palin Killed The "Bridge to Nowhere." Before they switched their website, the Alaska Democrat Party said, "Gov. Palin recently cancelled the Gravina Island Bridge near Ketchikan that would have connected the Alaska mainland with Gravina Island (population: 50)."
· Of all the presidential candidates, Barack Obama has the longest track record of supporting the "Bridge to Nowhere" -- he supported it before Sarah Palin even ran for governor. In 2005, Barack Obama voted for the final Highway Reauthorization Bill that included $223 million for the "Bridge to Nowhere." Unlike John McCain who instantly highlighted the "Bridge to Nowhere" in a press release the day the bill was passed, Barack Obama did not have the political courage to stand up to wasteful earmarks and only did when he started to run for president. Barack Obama's most egregious support for the "Bridge to Nowhere" came in October 2005 when he voted against stripping $125 million in funding from the bridge to fund rebuilding a bridge in New Orleans. When Governor Palin was presented with a similar choice, she chose to kill the bridge. When Barack Obama had to choose, he voted to build the bridge.
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http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/09/mccain_memo_defends_palin_on_b.php]
posted by Fred Martinez @ 9:55 PM
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