Clinton among tops in 'earmark' spending

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., helped get more than $340 million worth of home-state projects in last year's federal spending bills.

That figure puts the Democratic presidential candidate among the top 10 Senate recipients of what are commonly known as earmarks, a study by Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonpartisan budget watchdog group, says.

The report says Clinton supported almost four times as much earmarked spending as Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., her rival for the Democratic nomination. Obama's $91 million total placed him in the bottom quarter of senators who seek earmarks, The Washington Post said.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the probable Republican presidential nominee, was one of five senators to reject earmarks entirely and is using his blanket earmark opposition as part of his regular attack on Clinton.