Barack Obama

“ There is not a more pressing need right now than to clean up the culture of corruption that has been pervasive in Washington over the last several years. You have read the news reports: Jack Abramoff, the K Street project, Tom DeLay essentially placing his staff in lobbying firms, inviting them back in to write legislation. You've got the spectacle of the chairman of the committee responsible for writing prescription drug legislation negotiating at the same time as he's writing the legislation for the job of heading up Farma's lobbying arm. ”

“ You know, the Senate is a clubby institution. Individual Senators here, I have the utmost respect for and I think they do an excellent job for their constituents. But, they don't really like people intruding on Senate business, and part of what we need right now is some sunshine as a disinfectant in Washington. ”

“ And so, the hope is, is that if we create some transparency around this earmarks process that in fact, the money that has been budgeted for programs has been justified on the floor of the Senate, everybody knows where the money is going, there aren't any kinds of secret favors that are being done by anybody. ”