No With One Hand, Yes With The Other

You've seen these reports of Republicans touting projects in the stimulus that they voted against, as if we all wouldn't notice. I'm looking forward to Josh Marshall's hypocrimap, which will provide a convenient graphical listing of all these charlatans.

Perhaps more annoying is the habit of Republican governors to yowl about rejecting stimulus money, and then resigning them themselves to just having to take it. Here's South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, the closest thing to Herbert Hoover in the party, backing down:

The final wall of resistance against stimulus spending has now crumbled: South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, perhaps the most vocal critic of the bill outside of Capitol Hill, now says he'll spend the money that his state receives -- at least some of it, anyway.

This is definitely a change. Sanford previously said he had his staff looking at the plan, but "for a different reason" than other governors -- that is, to figure out what was wrong with it. And South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn, the House Dem Whip, had been exploring ways to force Sanford's hands.

And Governor Goodhair, as Molly Ivins used to call him:

Yet another anti-stimulus GOP governor, who had been hinting previously that his state would be turning down cash, is now accepting the money.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who co-wrote an op-ed piece with South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford about all the things that were wrong with the bill, has now informed the White House that he'll accept the money. (By the way, Sanford is taking some of the money, too.)

Part of this is that Clyburn also put in a provision to give aid directly at the local level if the state governors rejected it, which is smart of him (Clyburn is from Sanford's state of South Carolina). But was there any doubt that these losers would cave? I want to find the Republican whose ideals stand strong in the face of free money. It was completely obvious, and annoying that they would even presume to have anyone believe they were making a principled stand.