Palin changed stance on cited span

She was for 'bridge to nowhere' at first

ANCHORAGE - Governor Sarah Palin was for the infamous "bridge to nowhere" before she was against it, a change of position the GOP vice presidential nominee has glossed over in her first campaign speeches bragging about telling Congress "thanks but no thanks" to the pork barrel project.

Federal funds for the $398 million bridge were tacked into an appropriations bill as an earmark, the practice to fund pet projects that Republican nominee John McCain opposes. McCain repeatedly cites the bridge, pushed by Republican Senator Ted Stevens, as a case study of the congressional misuse of tax dollars. It would have connected the town of Ketchikan to an island with 50 residents and an airport on it. Ferries and water taxis serve the island now.

After McCain introduced her as his running mate Friday, Palin talked about her reform credentials and said she stopped the bridge project as part of an effort to end earmarking in appropriations bills.

"I have championed reform to end the abuses of earmark-spending by Congress," Palin said. "In fact, I told Congress, I told Congress, 'Thanks but no thanks,' on that bridge to nowhere."

"If our state wanted a bridge, I said we'd build it ourselves," she added.

She didn't talk that way when she was running for governor. The Anchorage Daily News quoted her on Oct. 22, 2006, as saying she would continue state funding for the bridge because she wanted swift action on infrastructure projects. "The window is now while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist," she said.

According to the Ketchikan Daily News, the bridge issue also came up on Sept. 20, 2006, during an appearance the gubernatorial candidates made in Ketchikan.

"The money that's been appropriated for the project, it should remain available for a link, an access process as we continue to evaluate the scope and just how best to just get this done," the newspaper quoted Palin as saying. "This link is a commitment to help Ketchikan expand its access, to help this community prosper."

The bridge issue dates back several years.

Former Republican governor Frank Murkowski, who had been an Alaska senator, wanted it built.

Stevens and Representative Don Young, pushed the project through Congress, securing $452 million in a federal transportation bill for two bridges - the one in Ketchikan and another in Anchorage.

With criticism over earmarks increasing, Congress stripped the provision from the bill.