I was kind of amused at the Billings Gazette editorial this morning, “Gazette Opinion: Rehberg’s partisan spin on spending.”

Come on; give your homeboy some love. Congressman Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.), with the loss of Conrad Burns, is the key to any appropriation funding coming to Montana at all. (That includes that “powerful” senior Senator and the freshman).

But, they were correct with the line, “Billings and the rest of Montana will miss the millions in hoped-for earmark money.”

You bet you will.

The democrats successfully used the problems with earmarks to win many seats across the nation. That, coupled with the issue of Iraq, gave them the majority.

Sure, earmarks need to be scrutinized more. I think they will be, but it will be bloody partisan. In a perfect world, every earmark should have local support from officials. They should be made public via the internet with a line or two about them. Then after a few days when folks from far and wide have a chance to review them, they should be voted on. It’s that simple and now the democrats can make it happen. We’re all waiting.

The Gazette also penned, “If two Democrats and one Republican from Montana can find common ground on spending priorities, maybe there’s hope for the rest. How about it, gentlemen? Put the people ahead of partisanship.”

Dream on.

Baucus is looking over his shoulder wondering if Rehberg will run against him. Why give or share credit with a possible opponent? Then, Tester must realize that as a freshman, he’ll be the weakest in 2012 (only 49% in 2006) and that Rehberg could pick him off if he’s not already Senator Rehberg by then.

In shorter terms, it would be like the Gazette putting the news ahead of the bottom line (making money). It ain’t gonna happen very often.

The Gazette editorial board just doesn’t realize that when they drive to work, earmarks probably provided them with the fine roads, or when they visit the hospital, earmarks helped provide the state of the art technology, or maybe when they take their trips from Logan airport, they fail to realize that earmarks made that airport what it is today.

Earmarks are not as nasty as they’ve been made out to be. But there’s a “New Day” in Washington. We’ll see if there’s sunshine or clouds.