But, just one short day after changing course on that long held moral campaign against abortion, Stupak submitted earmark requests that topped a half billion dollars.

Stupak requested more than $578 million in earmarks, including $125 million for a replacement lock on the Sault Ste. Marie, $25.6 million to build a federal courthouse in Marquette, Mich., $15 million to repaint the Mackinac Bridge and $800,000 to preserve the Quincy Mining Company smelter near Hancock in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Who can say whether these earmarks really represent the sell out, or whether the addled lawyer believed he had already gotten a great deal in trade for his reputation--long waiting lines at the doctor's office, larger deficits, and higher health care costs.