McCain attacks Santorum for earmark spending

After finishing a close second to Mitt RomneyMitt Romney in the 2012 Iowa Caucus, Rick SantorumRick Santorum has come under scrutiny by his fellow republicans, particularly, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).

Just days after the votes were counted, Santorum's congressional spending habits were the target of criticism by McCain, a Senate veteran and former GOP presidential candidate.

McCain charged Santorum with growing the federal deficit during his 16 years in congress through earmark spending.

Santorum battled the charge. "Some have been hammering away at me that I'm this big spender because I support earmarks," Santorum said. "Earmarks are not insignificant because every dollar counts. But the idea that because someone earmarks that they're somehow an irresponsible spender is just absurd," according to Roll Call.

Earmarks, also referred to as pork, are a part of the federal budget, which is allocated by congress. When lawmakers bring earmark money back to their districts for local building projects or as additional funding for existing programs, they look like heroes to their constituents, especially if the earmarks fund new jobs.

However, earmarks can also be spent on behalf of lobbyists who supported a particular campaign. For example, if a local building contractor donates to a winning candidate, it may be more than just coincidence that the same contractor benefits financially from a multi-million dollar earmark to build a bridge, or other structure.

Critics of earmarks call the practice legal bribery, supporters call it politics as usual.

Regardless of what it's called, earmarks are money from taxpayers all over the country being spent in the district of whichever congress person grabs it and brings it home.

As the GOP field gets trimmed down to the single eventual nominee, mudslinging among political rivals is standard procedure. But it also highlights the hypocrisy of spin. While McCain is a long-time crusader against earmarks, other members of the GOP quietly relish the power of pork.

McCain even acknowledged that Mitt Romney, the 2012 candidate he has endorsed is fan of earmarks. In a recent stump speech, McCain said, "Lindsey GrahamLindsey Graham and Jim DeMint have joined with me time after time to go to the floor of the Senate to fight against the earmark pork-barrel corruption," according to the Huffington Post. McCain added, "Earmarks are a gateway to corruption, and I can tell you that neither Mitt Romney nor Rick Santorum share that view."