Eschewing pork versus merely chewing it

Even Robert Novak seems to acknowledge that the GOP can no longer claim to be the party of fiscal responsibility, suggesting that the Democrats may well be the ones to clamp down on earmark spending:

The GOP may be falling behind the Democrats, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi moving toward a moratorium. In the Senate, courageous freshman Democrat Claire McCaskill of Missouri supports the DeMint amendment. She could be joined by her choice for president, Barack Obama. These developments encouraged Flake to say: "If Democrats actually move ahead with an earmark moratorium before Republicans, the Democrats will get the credit for eliminating earmarks, and, frankly, they'll deserve it."