Maybe this is Bizarro MS-NBC, or perhaps this is what happens when media outlets stop using partisan hacks as news anchors. David Schuster and James Popkin take a closer look at Joe Biden and his earmarks, which Biden has refused to itemize prior to this year — when he’s requested over $340 million in pork. Instead of an Olbermann rationalization about Biden’s earmarks somehow having the power to transform America when combined with Obamessiah-y goodness, Popkin and Schuster note the staggering hypocrisy between Barack Obama’s primary rhetoric and his defense of his running mate now:

DAVID SCHUSTER: As far as Democrat Joe Biden, the GOP has a clock running on their website counting the minutes since Republicans first called on Biden to release his earmarks, over 9 days and 23 hours. He has released his earmarks for this year but not previous. Where does Joe Biden stand on earmarks?

JIM POPKIN: Well, Joe Biden also has been an active participant in the earmark game. Just this year alone, he disclosed that he’s requested $342 million in earmarks. And what the McCain campaign, the GOP, is asking for is a more fulsome list. He’s been in Congress since 1972 and they’re asking for a list dating back over those 3 decades; his entire list of earmark requests which presumably would be much higher than the $342 million that he’s acknowledged just this year alone.

SCHUSTER: And it’s so interesting because just this past week the Washington Times wrote, in March when Mr. Obama released his 2005 and 2006 earmark requests, his communications director called on then-rival Senator Hillary Clinton to do the same. “If Senator Clinton will not agree in joining Senator Obama will not releasing her earmark requests, voters should ask why she doesn’t believe they have the right to know.” So, Jim, why doesn’t the Obama campaign believe voters have right to know about Joe Biden?

POPKIN: You know, I think it may be a legitimate question to ask. I don’t know if — any of these folks should be throwing stones. I will say, however, that Senator McCain has always said that he has never asked for any earmarks, and one of the major nonprofit groups that looks at earmarks took a look at a list that the Obama campaign prepared on some– I’ll call them alleged requests back from the early ’90s and could find kind of no compelling evidence that McCain had ever requested or received any earmarks for his state.

SCHUSTER: NBC’s Jim Popkin, thanks for coming on. Great stuff as always, we appreciate it.

Hammering Joe Biden. Acquitting John McCain. Calling out Obama for hypocrisy. Are we sure we dialed into the right cable news network?