Rep. David Obey (D-Wisc.), chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, has upped the ante over earmarks, effectively forcing members to put their money where their earmark is. Today he passed out a worksheet to members with two boxes, requiring them to check one:

___ I believe the House should suspend earmarks for the year. Consistent with this position, I will therefore be submitting no earmark requests for fiscal year 2009.
___ I believe the House should continue to provide responsible earmarks at a reasonable level and consistent with that position, I will be submitting appropriate requests for fiscal year 2009.
Please return the form to the Committtee Clerk, Rob Nabors, by March 19, 2008…I will assume that any Member not returning this form by that time wishes to see Congressional earmarks discontinued and will therefore be submitting no requests for fiscal year 2009.

Very clever. But Obey’s attempt to force everyone to take sides is also a sign that the issue concerns him.

Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), who does not take earmarks, is expected to make a statement soon.