McCain slams Obama for allowing pet projects in stimulus

Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican who lost his bid for the White House to President Obama, slammed the new commander-in-chief for allowing lawmaker's pet projects into the $787 billion stimulus bill.

And McCain, speaking to CBS News' Katie Couric on her webcast after Obama's speech to Congress, criticized Democratic leadership for allowing what he said were over 9,000 earmarks into an omnibus, or catch all, spending bill over more than $400 billion that is set for a vote this week in the House.

McCain ridiculed Obama's claim that he had passed a stimulus that contained no pork, calling it technically true but false in reality.

"In actuality it had billion[s] of dollars of earmarks in it," McCain said.

McCain also expressed doubt about Obama's ability to "increase all these spending programs" and still cut the deficit by 2013, which the president has promised to do by half.

-- Jon Ward, White House reporter, The Washington Times

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