Sometimes a principled arch-conservative is better than you'd expect

In this case, I'm talking about Senator Tom Colburn of Oklahoma, who, among other things as I recall was worried that it was dangerous to use a girls restroom in Oklahoma due to "rampant lesbianism in our public schools" and believes both evolution and global warming are complete farces.

Anyway, then he goes and does something like this, calling upon his Majority Leader, the loser Mitch McConnel of Kentucky, to investigate some major sketchy behavior by the less-than-ethical Republican Representative Don Young from Alaska:

We may finally get some answers about how Rep. Don Young (R-AK) managed to change the text of a bill after it was passed by Congress in order to benefit a major campaign contributor.

In a letter to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) today, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) called for the creation of a select committee comprised of both representatives and senators to investigate the miraculous change to the 2005 transportation bill.

To review the circumstances of Young's extra-Constitutional wizardry: Young, then the chairman of the House transportation committee, inserted a $10 million earmark to widen I-75 in Florida's Collier and Lee Counties in the 2005 bill. The project was supported by local officials. That was the version passed by Congress. But because of Young's unique position, he was able to make a crucial change: the bill later signed by the President had different language, directing the $10 million to an I-75 interchange at Coconut Road. That project had been opposed by local officials, but aggressively backed by real estate mogul Daniel Aronoff, who'd thrown a $40,000 fundraiser for Young that year.

Yeah, sketchy. Coburn also hates government spending--justified or unjustified. Hence going after this on principle that the taxpayers' money should not be wasted. Amen.