Tonight's ABC tidbit: Palin still insists she never supported Bridge to Nowhere

[BeyondGeography]

Gov. Sarah Palin made sure Friday that the Republicans party's conservative base heard loud and clear that it when it comes to traditional platforms like cutting wasteful spending, she's on their side.

She characterized needless projects funded by American tax payers and supported members of Congress as "embarrassment."

"It has always been an embarrassment that abuse of the ear earmark process has been accepted in Congress. And that's what John McCain has fought. And that's what I joined him in fighting. It's been an embarrassment, not just Alaska's projects. But McCain gives example after example after example. I mean, every state has their embarrassment," she said.

Palin said she opposed earmarks and defended her own record as the former mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, which received around $27 million in federal funding and her decision to first back and then withdraw support of the so-called "Bridge to Nowhere."

The governor withdrew support of the bridge slated to be built with $398 million in federal funds to a small island with just 50 residents after the project became synonomous with wasteful government earmarks.

When pushed by Gibson for supporting the bridge and then opposing it, Palin said she never fought for the bridge but was instead in favor of money used to improved Alaska's infrastructure. The state still received the federal funds even though the bridge project was nixed.

"I was for infrastructure being built in the state. And it's not inappropriate for a mayor or for a governor to request and to work with their Congress and their congressmen, their congresswomen, to plug into the federal budget along with every other state a share of the federal budget for infrastructure," she said.

Palin told Gibson that she "drastically reduced our earmark request since I came into office," but when pushed on her states request for $3.2 million for researching the genetics of harbor seals and the mating habits of crabs, the governor became defensive.

She said funding those projects were requested publicly and not hidden in legislation...



http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/story?id=5787748&page=1

[Dr Fate]

1. Is this follow up just internet text- or is it something swingvoters will see on their TVs tonight?

When you say "tonight's tidbit"- it almost sounds like it's going to be a major story on TV that a lot of people will see- is it?

I see a pattern here where DUers are presenting various network blog posts and internet text as if it is on TV where swing-voters & low info voters might see it- I think we need to make the distinction where appropriate...

[jenmito]

10. It will be on tv. Just like the "tidbits" posted here yesterday were on tv. n/t

[Dr Fate]

11. Glad to hear it- thanks for making this clear.

i'm sure we can agree that there is a huge difference between what networks put on their websites and what they actually put out onto the airwaves for low-info voters to see...

[jenmito]

12. No problem. They release bits of the interview that's to be aired tonight-just like they did

yesterday.

[DJ13]

2. Republicans have never done the "I made a mistake" thing

They will continue a lie even when everyone knows its a lie because the MSM refuses to mock them for it like they do with Democrats.

[ladjf]

3. She might as well have been opposed to the bride since

Congress had already taken it out of the bill.

[oviedodem]

4. proof once again she is an idiiot, what she shoudl have said back when she was running if

she was really a reformer was:

"We need help for our infrastructure, BUT that bridge is not one of them".

[dchill]

5. She DID oppose it - after Congress cut the funding for it...

and it was clear that it would never happen.

[BeyondGeography]

7. Thread title changed to better reflect the issue at hand

[dchill]

8. Either way, it's an obvious lie.

[earthlover]

15. So she went along...the anti-Maverick!

Just call her for what she is....a flip flopper!

But anti-Maverick does have a ring to it.

F it. just call them both liars. And hypocrites.

[marshall]

16. Who turns down free money--that's just crazy!

Especially for a politician. It's preposterous.

[ladjf]

6. Even had Palin been telling the truth about the bride decision,

what's the big deal. The bridge had already become one of the biggest earmark scandals in recent history. Anyone with an IQ of at least 80 would have known to back away from it. The bride was one
of Ted Steven's projects and it failed to sneak under the radar.

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

9. Exactly. MsMooseMuffins kept the cash, all $300 million.

[ladjf]

13. They lady was trying to pad her resume with every little thing

she could think of including the bride and the airplane deal. (The airplane was a 35 year old borderline piece of junk that the state had been trying to sell since before she was governor.)

[Imagevision]

14. Palin is a white condi Rice... lie and deny!