CROCODILE TEARS:Mary Landrieu's Emotional Defense of "Louisiana Purchase"

Poor Mary Landrieu, yesterday she emotionally critics of " Louisiana Purchase" a $3-400 Million costly Medicaid provision she got for her home state in exchange for her vote for cloture to allow the health-care bill to reach the senate floor.

In a 30-minute Senate floor speech, Landrieu described how a faulty Medicaid formula for her state, related to a surge in federal aid following Hurricane Katrina, had created a Medicaid funding gap of up to $600 million. She provided letters and other documents to show support from Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal and GOP members of the Louisiana congressional delegation, including Sen. David Vitter, who voted against the Senate bill.

She gave the impression that she took the bribe because Governor Jindal asked her to take the bribe. "It's not a secret deal; it's not a backroom deal. It was a public request," the Louisiana Democrat told reporters at the Capitol on Thursday. And she took Bobby Jindal to task for not doing more in defense of the fix, which she says that he asked the Louisiana congressional delegation to secure.

According to Kaiser Heath News Landrieu maintains that her vote for the health overhaul was not connected to the $300-million boost. Wow, what an amazing coincidence, the money was added to the bill and she immediately changed her vote, and they weren't related at all.

As for Governor Jindal, yes it is true he was asking for the money, in fact he has been asking for it ever since he took office in January 2008 almost two years before the Louisiana purchase. Jindal continues to oppose the Obamacare bill, with or without Mary Landrieu's bribe.

Groucho Marx used to tell a story where he went up to a woman and asked if she would sleep with him for one million dollars. She said yes. He then asked if she would sleep with him for five dollars. She said, "what kind of girl do you think I am?" He answered "We already established that, now we are negotiating price."

No matter what the price, Landrieu sold her vote and allowed a bill that she otherwise opposed to make to the Senate floor.

Mary Landrieu speech on the Senate Floor yesterday falls somewhere in between disingenuous and an outright lie. She may have done what was right in her own mind, but her angry explanation of the " Louisiana Purchase" was nothing more than political spin. If she thinks she did the right thing, she should stand up and explain it honestly. Louisiana voters deserve better.