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McCain wrong on Palin earmarks
By Tom Hamburger and Maeve Reston, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
September 13, 2008
NEW YORK -- John McCain got it wrong Friday when he asserted that his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, had not requested any earmarks, the spending directives lawmakers insert in spending bills that McCain has vowed to eliminate.
Palin, in fact, requested $198 million in federal earmarks in February, including such expenses as $487,000 to fight obesity in Alaska and $4 million to develop recreational trails.
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Alaska has consistently been the largest per capita beneficiary of federal earmarks, in part because the state's congressional delegation is powerful and provides well for a small population in a state with a large federal presence.