Obama Praises McConnell on Earmark Ban, Says Deficit-Cutting Needed

A statement from President Obama on earmark reform: 

I welcome Senator McConnell’s decision to join me and members of both parties who support cracking down on wasteful earmark spending, which we can’t afford during these tough economic times.   As a Senator, I helped eliminate anonymous earmarks, and as President, I’ve called for new limitations on earmarks and set new, higher standards of transparency and accountability. But we can’t stop with earmarks as they represent only part of the problem.  In the days and weeks to come, I look forward to working with Democrats and Republicans to not only end earmark spending, but to find other ways to bring down our deficits for our children.

Of course, the president wasn't always so anti-earmark. In fact, Obama requested $1 million for a new pavilion at the University of Chicago hospital, which also just so happened to be Michelle Obama's employer.