Remember how impressed Barack Obama wanted us to be over the notion that the stimulus bill contained no pork?  He claimed that all of the spending went to creating new jobs.  Perhaps we can now call Porkulus the Harvest Mouse Full Employment Act:

House Republicans are challenging Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s claim that the massive stimulus spending bill contains no pet projects after uncovering in the bill more than $30 million for wetlands conservation in her San Francisco Bay area district, including work she previously championed to protect the salt marsh harvest mouse.

“This sounds like spending projects that have been supported by a certain powerful Democrat in the past,” said Michael Steel, spokesman for House Minority Leader John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican.

“It certainly doesn’t sound like it will create or save American jobs,” he said. “So can Speaker Pelosi explain exactly how we will improve the American economy by helping the adorable little” critter?

Pelosi’s office denies that she inserted this provision into Porkulus.  However, Pelosi has previously championed this effort and the money will get spent in her district.  It looks as if the Speaker is trying a little sleight-of-hand, perhaps by doing what Congress often does: trade earmarks so as to keep the true fingerprints off the pork.

I’m just curious as to how many jobs will get created for the harvest mice.  Maybe Obama plans to use them to power the NEVs that supposedly create no emissions despite relying on electricity that gets generated at coal-burning plants around the nation?  That would be a win-win — at least until PETA stops the exploitation of our furry woodland friends.