Now everyone hates earmarks

A bill to eliminate the practice of congressional earmarking, AKA wasteful and corrupting pork barrel spending, is all of a sudden drawing a lot of attention. John McCain pledged his support and then the levy broke.

The AP reports:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday joined Republican presidential candidate John McCain and a small band of GOP senators in making a run this week against the billions of dollars in home-state pet projects Congress funds each year.

Obama, locked in a head-to-head battle with Clinton for the Democratic nomination, was the first to declare through a spokesman Monday that he would support a one-year moratorium on so-called earmarks when it comes up for a vote later this week. Clinton followed shortly afterward through a spokesman.

The poobahs of pork in both parties as well as their Senate leaders suddenly found themselves on the spot after stalwartly defending lawmakers' practice of steering federal dollars to their home states.

The furious pace at which momentum is building for this measure is impressive. Old bulls in the Senate who want to maintain their right to direct tax dollars wherever they want are now in quite a pickle. Will they look sillier maintaining their position or flip flopping on something they have fought so hard to keep from coming to a vote?

This scenario is a bit like the immigration reform bill. There were many in the Senate who favored the amnesty measure, but when push came to shove the American people spoke so loudly that they had to flip their votes at the last moment on the Senate floor. Fearing a backlash, they quietly voted against amnesty and then slunk away.

It is good to know that there are still issues that matter enough to people that even entrenched old bull Senators can feel the heat.

RELATED: WSJ Editorial -- Earmark Showdown

UPDATE: Keep an eye on Andy Roth at the Club for Growth. He has been all over this issue as well as David Freddoso.