Rough news: Obama budget includes little for Savannah port

Story in the ajc. Just a flavor:

It was the president's plans for Port of Savannah funding that state officials were anticipating the most.

While disappointed, Deal and others pointed out that Obama's inclusion of $600,000 in funding was at least a sign the president supports the project.

“While we would’ve liked to see more, this shows the administration is still in support of the project,” said Republican Rep. Jack Kingston of Savannah.

Jim Galloway of the ajc's Political Insider asks "Did Port of Savannah just escape painful earmark status," and writes:

Now that Republicans have begun to digest the news about funding for the expansion of the Port of Savannah, a few are realizing that President Barack Obama may have just done Georgia a significant favor.

Not in the amount of funding allotted. No one can look at $600,000 and think it comes close to the $105 million needed.

But Obama just made the dredging of the Port of Savannah a line item in his budget. If that’s the case, it is no longer an earmark. And could free Georgia members of Congress from those no-earmark promises they made – if an agreement can be reached to address the dollar amount.

Remember that dinner-table joke featuring Winston Churchill and a stodgy dowager? Churchill asks her if she would sleep with him for five million pounds. Possibly, she responds.

How about five pounds? says Churchill. What kind of woman do you think I am? she declares.
Says Churchill: “Madam, we’ve already established that. Now we are haggling about the price.”

Georgia may now be now faced with the same situation – but in reverse. The Port of Savannah has just been established, in principle, as an Obama-sanctioned project. Now it may be a matter of haggling.