Joe Biden, December 24: “There will be no earmarks in this economic recovery plan . . . I know it’s the Christmas season, but President-elect Obama and I are absolutely determined that this economic recovery package will not become a Christmas tree.”

Somebody didn’t get the memo, apparently:

Here are some of the programs state and local officials have targeted for funding in the Obama stimulus plan that are being criticized by some congressional Republicans:
– $4.8 million for a polar bear exhibit in Rhode Island.
– $100 million to redevelop land for a casino in Philadelphia.
– $13 million in improvements in Las Vegas, much of it for a pedestrian bridge at the Tropicana hotel-casino.
– A yet-to-be-determined amount for a proposed $50 million museum in Las Vegas devoted to organized crime.
– $6 million for snow-making and maintenance facilities at Spirit Mountain, Minn.

Was Obama serious about keeping out the pork? We’ll know soon.