McCain Attacks GOP Spending

Speaking at the Reagan Library on Friday, Arizona senator John McCain lashed out at the Republican leadership for allowing federal deficit spending to balloon so sharply in recent years. According to an AP writeup of his prepared remarks, McCain was sharply critical of the GOP for its profligacy.

"Why has our party, the party of small government, lately adopted the practices of our opponents who believe the bigger the government the better? I'm afraid it's because at times we value our incumbency more than our principles," McCain said. "We came to office to reduce the size of government. Lately, we have increased the size of government in order to stay in office. Soon, if we don't remember what we were elected to do, we will lose both our principles and our office and we will leave as part of our legacy a mountain of debt and bankrupt entitlement programs that our children's grandchildren will be suffering from."

Later in the speech, McCain set his rhetorical sights on earmarking, noting that the recent explosion of special projects is "not a record Ronald Reagan would have been proud of. We need to stop this, now."