Play It Again, Tom

Oklahoma Republican Tom Coburn tries again (with the help of sidekick Jim DeMint (R-S.C.)) on full disclosure of earmarks. After the Democratic majority whip objected to a proposal by DeMint to require disclosure, Senate Republicans rose up en masse in defense of limited government spending, passed the new rule, and then linked arms and sang the national anthem.

Just kidding.

Here's what really happened:

Amid thundering silence from the GOP leadership after Durbin's objection, Coburn declared on the Senate floor: "I would remind my colleagues that we don't have a higher favorable rating than the president at this time . . . and the reason we don't is the very reason we just saw. . . . It's a sad day in the Senate because we're playing games with the American public."

Novak concludes:

This is no partisan struggle. The word in the Republican cloakroom was that a GOP senator would derail the DeMint rule if the Democrats did not.

Read the rest of the depressing inside scoop from Bob Novak.

Read more about Coburn's anti-porcine bias here and here, and Jacob's cynical take on the whole effort here.