The earmark issue is a redherring and quite frankly is being done at the behest of McCain.
There is the valid argument of past on the way the earmarks were traded between Congressman, but you don’t throw everything out, you cherry-pick the bad earmarks and get rid of them.
The issue is the here and now on what the GOP is trying and it is only being done for one year so it is being done as a politcal ploy for political gain and that smells.
Well even if a one year “ploy” I’ll take a year of good behavior over permanent acquiesing to taxpayer highway robbery. But I think the GOP learned its lesson from 2006 and realize they need a sustained program to end earmarks, no matter who it’s being done at the behest of. If McCain is behind it, then good on him. He’s always been consistently good on earmarks. But if it just a temporary repentence, then the GOP will have to be taught again.