Wash. Times' Lambro falsely accused Obama of misrepresenting contents of bill
SUMMARY: The Washington Times' Donald Lambro wrote, "Nine thousand pork barrel earmarks were buried in the $410 billion omnibus budget that passed the House last week," adding that "President Obama told Congress the day before it passed that he was happy it didn't contain any earmarks, eliciting gales of laughter from the Republican side of the chamber who knew better." In fact, during his February 24 address to Congress, Obama praised the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act -- not the omnibus legislation -- for not containing any earmarks.
In his March 2 column, Donald Lambro, The Washington Times' chief political correspondent, wrote, "Nine thousand pork barrel earmarks were buried in the $410 billion omnibus budget that passed the House last week," and added that "President Obama told Congress the day before it passed that he was happy it didn't contain any earmarks, eliciting gales of laughter from the Republican side of the chamber who knew better." But Lambro's claim that Obama made a false statement about earmarks is itself false. In his February 24 address to Congress, Obama was not referring to the omnibus spending bill, as Lambro claimed, but to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act when he said the bill did not contain any earmarks: "I'm proud that we passed the recovery plan free of earmarks, and I want to pass a budget next year that ensures that each dollar we spend reflects only our most important national priorities."
As Media Matters for America has noted, both Republicans and Democrats requested "earmarks" to be included in the omnibus legislation. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer's (D-MD) office asserted that "40% of the earmarks in the omnibus appropriations bill are Republican earmarks."
Lambro wrote on March 2:
Nine thousand pork barrel earmarks were buried in the $410 billion omnibus budget that passed the House last week - giving bureaucrats 9 percent more money to spend in the remainder of this fiscal year.
President Obama told Congress the day before it passed that he was happy it didn't contain any earmarks, eliciting gales of laughter from the Republican side of the chamber who knew better.
Obama said during his February 24 address:
There is, of course, another responsibility we have to our children. And that is the responsibility to ensure that we do not pass on to them a debt they cannot pay. With the deficit we inherited, the cost of the crisis we face, and the long-term challenges we must meet, it has never been more important to ensure that as our economy recovers, we do what it takes to bring this deficit down.
I'm proud that we passed the recovery plan free of earmarks, and I want to pass a budget next year that ensures that each dollar we spend reflects only our most important national priorities.
Yesterday, I held a fiscal summit where I pledged to cut the deficit in half by the end of my first term in office. My administration has also begun to go line by line through the federal budget in order to eliminate wasteful and ineffective programs. As you can imagine, this is a process that will take some time. But we're starting with the biggest lines. We have already identified two trillion dollars in savings over the next decade.
Interesting. Haven't some of the Republitoids been claiming that the Stimulus Bill had 9,000 earmarks in it? I could be mistaken... they've told so many lies that it's hard to keep up.
Anybody who is looking to the Republicans to be honest, bipartisan, or reasonable has not been paying attention to the last 8 years. They've chased those who are reasonable out of the party.
I would push it back to the last 14 years.... at least. They seem to have collectively lost their minds when Clinton was elected.
I can't argue with that.
Yeah, funny how they called 'em RINOs while lauding the likes of Lieberman and claim they're standing on principle when the criminally-clueless cretin likes of Bonehead Boehner tells his flock to just say no to anything and everything Obama says before he even says it.
Lol....and your party is off to such a great start on the honesty scale. How many high profile people had to step back due to scandel??.....how many reps are under investigation?? Those of you who simply think the dems are so honest, and just biologically incapable or wrong doing are so much fun to watch, and i will love to see your reactions when they fall.
You have successfully proved that democrats are imperfect. Now go find the people who said they were perfect and tell them.
Personally, I want elected officials to do stuff that works well, and to obey the law as well as a typical common person would. That's it.
Personal income tax issues are not scandals: two guys who owe back-taxes (as do a number of republicans, including the seventy-plus thousand Mrs. Palin forgot to mention that she owes) is not a criminal matter: have they broken any laws? No. Did they lie? No, they where never asked about their personal income tax in the first place. When the issue did come to light, they didn't lie, though instead took personal responsibility. How many people in the Bush administration are still under investigation? Hint: more than two.
what about david vitter.......
he was caught in a hooker scandal and refuses to resign.
How many high profile people had to step back due to scandel?
At least they DID. How many Bush admin officials are under investigation for much worse than back taxes and have gone soe far as to ignore congrssional subpenoa in order to obstruct the investigation. Admiting your wrongding is far preferable than obsfucating it.
In other words, Lambro is doing what he's accusing Obama of doing.
No brain, no shame.
Donal Lambro has issued an apology to Rush Limbaugh for not first clearing his remarks with Limbaugh. Lambro also said that Limbaugh is a great leader... ;>)