Clinton racking up earmarks for 2009

WASHINGTON, April 29 (UPI) -- Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., is seeking three times more earmarks in the 2009 U.S. budget than any other senator, a look at the latest figures showed.

Political analysts told The Hill, a Washington newspaper, that the requests, which total nearly $2.3 billion, could be an attempt to ensure that Clinton's Senate seat is secure should she lose her bid for the presidency.

"There's a decent chance that she is going to remain the senator from New York and she needs to do what she can to stay the senator from New York," Steve Ellis, vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, told The Hill.

Clinton's campaign told The Hill that the requests were needed for homeland security and health projects in New York, including monitoring the health of Sept. 11, 2001, responders.

Ellis said $2.3 billion was actually not an unusual figure for a senator from a major state. However, The Hill pointed out the figure was three times what any senator received this year. Clinton secured $345 million in 2008.

The Hill said Clinton's fellow Democratic candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., hasn't made any earmark requests for 2009 while presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has been a frequent critic of earmarks in general.