While some politicians and right wing media supported Jim Bunning's one man blockade of the $10 billion 30 day extension of unemployment benefits and other actions because it wasn't offset by a reduction elsewhere and added to the deficit, they ignore the hypocrisy of his actions.

Very recently on January 10, 2010, Bunning along with all of his Republican colleagues voted against Obama's PAYGO (pay as you go) legislation, that required the cost of new expenditures be offset against a reduction elsewhere. The bill passed 60-40 in the Senate with all Democrats voting for it and all Republican voting against it.

Bunning voted for the 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cuts, neither of which provided offsets in expenditures and both severely added to the deficit.

In April 2001, Bunning voted for the GOP version of the Medicare prescription drug program, which was not funded by any new taxes or cuts in expenditures.

On the other hand, in November 2008, Bunning voted YES on extending unemployment benefits from 39 weeks to 59 weeks. And no, these unemployment benefits were not funded either.

Jim Bunning will not be running for re-election in 2010 as opinion polls show his approval rating in Kentucky at below 30 percent. So the question in most people's minds is why Bunning has chosen this unpopular issue to make a stand, when he had ample opportunities to vote his principles in the past and chose not to.  Perhaps it has nothing to do with principles, but rather petty politics.