Frothy Paradise

More than a dozen Republicans who opposed the Recovery Act privately sought money from the Agriculture Department for home-state projects.

The Times obtained letters from GOP lawmakers through the Freedom of Information Act, and Jim McElhatton reports the messages “expose the gulf between lawmaker’s public criticism of the overall stimulus package and their private lobbying for projects close to home.”

Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.), for example, advocated for one project that he said would “create jobs and ultimately spur economic opportunities.” Bond’s explanation? “I strongly opposed the stimulus, but the only thing that could make it worse would be if none of it returned to the taxpayers of Missouri,” he told the paper.

Other Republicans who voiced opposition to the stimulus but privately sought spending for their constituents include Sen. Charles Grassley (Iowa), Rep. Joe Wilson (S.C.), Sen. Robert Bennett (Utah), Rep. Pat Tiberi (Ohio), Sen. Mike Johanns (Neb.), Sen. Lamar Alexander (Tenn.), Rep. John Linder (Ga.), Rep. Robert Aderholt (Ala.), Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and at least eight others, the Times reported.