Which further illustrates my point
Obama argued with his allies in Congress and lost the day on earmarks. He needs them for the coming battles on healthcare, education etc and had no choice, clearly. That's not idol worship pal, that's the facts and you know it as well as I. Obama had a meeting with Pelosi and other top dems on earmarks and they dug in their heels.
But the fact he is bringing it up and saying how he will work to change the earmark system (because we literally can no longer afford it) is a good thing, no? I would not expect GOP pols to support him, but I would think fiscally conservative people in general would support the president on this. Again, clearly someone honestly committed to changing the system for the better. What a difference.