Dowd: 'Obama Sounds Hollow'

Maureen Dowd still loves Shakespeare, hates pork. In her latest column for the New York Times, the Queen of Snark rails against President Obama's failure to banish earmarks from the latest burgeoning spending bill. "He let [Congress] do a lot of frivolous redecorating in its budget... Team Obama sounds hollow, chanting that 'the status quo is not acceptable,' even while conceding that the president is accepting the status quo by signing a budget festooned with pork." She notes the $410 billion bill contains "$38.4 million of earmarks sponsored or co-sponsored by Obama's labor secretary, Hilda Solis; $109 million Hillary Clinton signed on to; and $31.2 million in earmarks sought by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood with colleagues." Dowd reposted the angry Twitter messages of Senator McCain, who she likens to King Lear after his amendment was rejected: On the $1 million marked for Mormon cricket control in Utah, McCain Tweeted: "Is that the species of cricket or a game played by the Brits?"