Not everyone in this part of Mississippi is familiar with the name of Travis Childers. A respected local official in North Mississippi, Childers won the District 1 U.S. House seat last year that had been held for more than a decade by Roger Wicker.

Wicker was appointed to the Senate when former Sen. Trent Lott resigned. Childers first won a hotly contested special election and, in November, joined Wicker in winning during the regular election cycle.

Unlike Wicker, a conservative Republican, Childers ran as a Democrat. So there has been continued speculation as to whether he would be more of a conservative “blue dog” Democrat like District 4 U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor or more of a party man like District 2 U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson.

Well, it appears the answer may be “both.”

In a key early vote, Childers joined Thompson in voting for the stimulus bill that, after conference, came in with the staggering price of $787 billion. Taylor joined a smattering of other Democrats and all House Republicans, including District 3 Rep. Gregg Harper, in voting nay.

Yet last week, Childers sent out a press release headlined, “Childers Advocates Return to Government Fiscal Responsibility.”

It went on to say the freshman voted last week against the $410 billion Omnibus Appropriations bill, which is the spending bill members of Congress pass each year to fund ongoing government operations.

Childers’ stated reasoning was that the omnibus bill reflects a $32 billion, or 8.3 percent, increase over current spending levels, “appropriating funds for the government that are excessive under the nation’s current economic crisis, and increasing the financial burden on hard-working Americans.”

The votes make him appear to be a big spender who’s against big spending unless, of course, it’s in his district.

“Many of the omnibus-funded programs are valid,” Childers said, adding that “should the omnibus pass without my vote, (which it will) I will work hard to ensure that North Mississippi receives adequate funding.”

Some people have problems being for things they are against or against things they are for. But apparently it doesn’t take long to learn the ways of Washington, where that has never been a problem.