by Jim Kouri - According to a breaking story in Newsmax.com, presidential hopeful Barack Obama released a record of his earmark requests he made during his three years in the US Senate.

His earmark list includes $1 million for the hospital where his wife Michelle is a vice president. According to the Obama campaign, the million dollar request was earmarked for a construction project at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

Regardless of the fact that the 2006 request for the hospital was not approved by the Senate, according to Newsmax, he did manage to secure $1.3 million for a high-explosive technology program for the Army’s Bradley Fighting Vehicle. The program was overseen by General Dynamics, and one of Obama’s top supporters, James Crown — a member of Obama’s national finance committee -- serves on the board of directors for General Dynamics.

Obama also secured a $750,000 earmark for renovation of a space center named for Crown’s grandfather, Henry Crown, at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

Once Barack won his senate seat, Michelle Obama was promoted to vice president for external affairs and her salary jumped from $121,910 to $316,962 per year.


When it comes to earmark transparency and the Democrats' efforts to certify bills as "earmark free" even when they clearly contain earmarks, the Republican Study Committee has something to say:

"We're not gonna take it.
No! We ain't gonna take it.
We're not gonna take it, anymore!"

In a new video released on YouTube the RSC's website, and House Conservative Fund's website (Posted on June 28, 2007), members are seen calling Democrats to task for trying to have it both ways. Set to music by Twisted Sister and Survivor, it's still a great way to show that conservatives are leading the charge to hold Democrats to their empty promises of earmark reform and increased transparency.