Just a note before you view this video: if this McCain had showed up every day during the campaign, we’d have a different President. Just sayin’.

Unsurprisingly, Obama’s promise to eliminate earmarks and unnecessary spending has been broken. McCain tried to get the earmarks — all 9,000 of them — removed from the bill, but the amendment failed.

Today Sen. John McCain failed in his effort to strip thousands on earmarks from a government funding bill moving through Congress. His amendment would also have reduced the funding for several government departments to last year’s lower spending levels.

His amendment failed 63-32, with a simple majority needed for passage. Only two Democrats voted with McCain: Evan Bayh and Claire McCaskill.

There were eight Republicans who voted against McCain, thereby supporting the earmarks and the higher levels of spending. All but one of those Republicans (Snowe) sit on the Senate Appropriations Committee. That panel is tasked with writing the spending bills and are best positioned to add earmarks. Those GOP committee members voting against McCain were Bennett, Bond, Cochran, Collins, Murkowski, Shelby and Specter.

I’m guessing this means that these eight Republicans did not notice the beating Specter is taking in the polls. Specter, Collins, and Snowe, especially, should have learned their lessons, but noooo.

To wrap up, Real Clear Politics has the money quote:

“We need earmark reform and when I’m president, I will go line by line to make sure we’re not spending money unwisely,” McCain quoted a campaign promise Obama made on the trail. “That’s the quote, the promise of the president of the United States made to the American people in a debate with me in Oxford, Mississippi. So what is brought to the floor today, 9,000 earmarks. So much for change,” McCain added.

Hat Tip: Hot Air