Congressman to World, "I'm a Hypocrite"

File this under "do as I say not as I do".

Nearly everyone on Capitol Hill these days just loves to beat up on earmarks. Unless, of course, the money is headed their way. In a stark example of this paradox, freshman Rep. Kevin O. McCarthy (R-Calif.) e-mailed constituents last week, touting the $200,000 he secured for nurses in Kern County, Calif., then bragged about voting against legislation to appropriate the money. McCarthy secured $200,000 for California State University, Bakersfield to help counter the shortage of trained nurses in his rapidly growing district. But he voted against the $607 billion health care spending bill that included the money because it was $10.6 billion more than President Bush had requested.

In particular, McCarthy complained that the bill included $2 million for the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service in Harlem -- money the powerful House Ways and Means chairman secured for the institute bearing his name, which helps low-income and minority students launch careers in politics.

"Taxpayer dollars are not a congressman's personal spending account," McCarthy e-mailed.

More here.