[etgryphon]

I believe that Stevens has the chair of of the Commerce Committee. They have this procedural rule called "Filling the Amendment tree". Which basically means that the chairman is in charge of "assigning" spots to possible amendments that the committee can vote on. Now there are two tactics that you can take: 1) fill your amendments at the front of the tree and have many so you are willing to loose some but get some through, 2) fill the amendments at the end of the tree so you can slip them out of the committee. I believe that Stevens used the latter because he really wanted this particular amendment to pass...

Now the great vehicle that is the highway bill has been one of the easiest things to attach pork too. The senators have a "gentleman's agreement" that they will allow "everyone" to get a little pork and not specifically try to target specific peices of pork. The problem here is that since it made it through the committee with Stevens amendments that carries a lot more weight and tougher to get stripped. One it make it to the floor, there is another "amendment tree" that need to get filled. Frist is in charge of this one. But First gives deference to the chairman of the committee that the bill came through. So now Stevens is a gatekeeper for all other people's "pork" to make it on the bill. So he is in prime position to remind and influence with this priviledge.

If you want the motivation, it has less to do with who lives on the island, it has everything to do with the money that is coming to the state. All the jobs and profits for the constructions. He gets to tout that he has brought all this "business" to Alaska.

The only reason that we are even talking about this particular one is because the actual "pork" is ostensibly only helping 50 people. So the rest of the country, us, look at it and say "WTF? You are giving 500 million to benifit 50 people?" We technically don't care or notice the jobs and the profit to Alaskan citizens or companies.

Stevens then gets bent out of shape becuase Corbin wants to attack "specific" earmarks and thus breaking the "gentleman's agreement". The other senators don't want go against Stevens because if he loses his "pork" he will remember it the next time that he gets to "fill the amendment tree". The Commerce Committee is one of the more powerful committees in the Senate so it is best not the piss the chairman off if you want to get money.

An interesting note...Reagan vetoed a Highway Bill because it had too much pork. Count: 152 items. Current bill passed with 6,371 items and $24 Billion price tag.

-Gryph