>http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/09/22/national/w131939D34.DTL&type=politics
>
>The legislation is coming together in a remarkably secretive process in which decisions are concentrated in the hands of just a few lawmakers such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey, D-Wis.
>
>The unusual process means thousands of lawmakers' pet projects of the very sort blasted by GOP presidential nominee John McCain on the campaign trail would escape scrutiny, including up to $5 billion worth of such "earmarks" in the defense budget alone.
>
>Congressional leaders hope to pass the budget legislation this week, but several issues remained undecided Monday. For starters, it wasn't clear how much the White House would be willing to accept.
>
>Bush has threatened to veto bills that don't cut the number and cost of earmarks in half or cause agency operating budgets, taken together, to exceed his request.

See, I do read your links sometimes ;-) For whatever reason I ass-umed the article was about the emergency bailout measures Congress is now considering. Actually it's about the budget. In either case I don't like earmarks in it. Any bailout legislation better not have any earmarks in it, that's for sure.