There's an essential beast in politics which is the bastard child of scapegoat and smokescreen. (Please don't overthink!)

Where it's absolutely necessary for a pol to admit having made a mistake - and, let's face it, it comes about as easily as saying sorry did to the Fonz - they'll choose something (or someone) small to blame, something severable, which, post-chop, which, with any luck, will leave the main body politic (not to mention their own!) clean of all taint.

They will use extravagant gestures over this relatively minor matter both as displacement activity and as misdirection: they'll occupy the minds of pols, media and public with the scapegoat, in order to stop their attention wandering to more serious, radical, intractable, dangerous matters.

Such is it with earmarks.

A Kossack pulls up a story in the Palm Beach Post blog today which ledes that

Another Democratic senator appears to have placed a "secret hold" on legislation that would pry open the murky world of federal contracting to public scrutiny.

Moreover,

The news came soon after Coburn learned that Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, had finally lifted his hold...

Yesterday, I noted the sad tale how a bill (S 2590) which would open up to online scrutiny the shady world of Federal government contracts and business handouts had been stymied by holds placed by porksters extraordinaire Ted Stevens and Robert Byrd.

(Byrd later retracted his hold. One hold is enough...)

This is a bill supported (apparently) by both leaderships and a large bipartisan majority in each house.

How can it be moved forward?

In a truly amazing piece of bipartisan legislating, a bill has arrived on the Senate calendar which would make the whole business of Federal contracting, grants, loans and the like a whole lot more transparent: S 2590, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act.

Coburn sponsored, Frist and Reid have cosponsored, as well as another 27 senators from both parties.

Finally, the Congress does something great!

Except - the reigning GOP King of Pork, Prince Edward of Gravina, has put a hold on the bill.