Christopher Dodd, beneficiary of $100 million earmark in health care bill

On Sunday it was revealed that the Senate health care bill contained several hidden earmarks benefiting the home states of both Sen. Max Baucus, a key figure in crafting the bill and Sen. Bill Nelson, who recently reversed himself and decided to support the bill. However, also included in the health care bill was a $100 million earmark for an unnamed health care facility.

The Republican Senate website raised the questions: Who inserted the earmark into the bill and who was the intended recipient of that money?

The AP has the answer:

A $100 million item for construction of a university hospital was inserted in the Senate health care bill at the request of Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., who faces a difficult re-election campaign, his office said Sunday night.

The legislation leaves it up to the Health and Human Services Department to decide where the money should be spent, although spokesman Bryan DeAngelis said Dodd hopes to claim it for the University of Connecticut...

Dodd has played a key role in development of the health care bill in the Senate...

Dodd, who is chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, is seeking a new term in 2010, but polls so far show him in a tight race.

Apparently, Sen. Dodd decided to disclose this information to save face before others had a chance to find out who was behind the hidden earmark. But of course, the fact that Mr. Dodd inserted a $100 million earmark for his own political benefit still does not reflect too kindly on him, despite his [forced] admission.

Also troubling is the following sentence in the AP article: "The legislation leaves it up to the Health and Human Services Department to decide where the money should be spent, although spokesman Bryan DeAngelis said Dodd hopes to claim it for the University of Connecticut."

Are we supposed to believe that Sen. Dodd inserted this earmark into the bill, merely hoping to claim it for the University of Connecticut, without knowing for certain that he would be the beneficiary of the money? Please! [It should also be noted that Sen. Dodd and his cronies were very specific in stipulating who is to be the beneficiary of this money: "Such facility shall be affiliated with an academic health center at a public research university in the United States that contains a State’s sole public academic medical and dental school.” In other words, in a state where there is only one public medical and dental school.]

Nevertheless, now that Sen. Dodd has confessed to the crime, the HSS, in all likelihood, will be forced to give the money to a different medical facility - in an order to save face and to avoid being labeled an accessory to the crime....

The moral of the story?

Sometimes crime pays, and sometimes it doesn't....