Palin as VP Pick: McCain’s Flip-Flop on Earmarks?

Steve Benen has been doing some great blogging on the McCain’s VP pick starting with her speech:

And I championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. In fact, I told Congress — I told Congress, “Thanks, but no thanks,” on that bridge to nowhere. (APPLAUSE) If our state wanted a bridge, I said we’d build it ourselves.

Diana Marrero featured Palin’s picture with this caption:

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s state may lead the country in per-capita pork barrel spending

Brad Plumer goes further:

She was very much for the bridge and insisted that Alaska had to act quickly—the party of Ted Stevens and Don Young might soon lose its majority, after all.

So why did McCain pick Palin as his running mate? Is it that she’s so dishonest with respect to this issue that it almost makes McCain look honest by comparison?