DOES McCAIN STILL ACCEPT A SALARY AS A U.S. SENATOR? WE DESERVE A REFUND IF HE DOES

"Now you listen up, you skinny old thing! You need heartier breakfasts."

Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and Chris Dodd are all running for president. They're also still working at being good senators. And they vote. The have the first thing in common with John McCain-- but not the second two. The poor old codger may not look like he's putting any energy into his presidential campaign-- but that's all the energy he has. Amd even though he makes over $165,000 a year as a senator, he sure isn't devoting any to the U.S. Senate. In today's Washington Post Paul Kane points out that gramps has been MIA for the last 42 roll calls.

Sen. John McCain (R-Campaign Trail) missed another vote today on a resolution related to the Iraq war, skipping a procedural move on a war funding measure in favor of hitting the campaign trail in New York.

In fact, McCain's missed vote today marked his fifth straight week without casting a vote on the Senate floor, with this morning's vote marking the 42nd straight roll call that he has missed.

Since the first-quarter fundraising period for presidential candidates ended March 31, McCain has made just three floor votes. He hasn't cast a single vote since the full details of his wildly disappointing presidential campaign's fundraising report were revealed in mid-April.

If McCain misses the next three votes -- the $2.9 trillion fiscal 2008 budget is likely to be voted on this afternoon -- he will officially have been absent for 50 percent of the more than 170 roll calls held in the chamber so far in the 110th Congress.

50% seems like an awful lot! Hillary missed under 2% and Obama only missed 6.4%. He sure did get enough energy to rush off to Baghdad on a whim to prove how safe it would be to go for a stroll in a neighborhood. I did notice though when he sang that song about bombing Iran, he didn't quite have the oomph that Brian Wilson put into it-- or even Vince Vance.


UPDATE: HARRY REID SCOLDS GRANDPA McCAIN FOR ABANDONING HIS JOB AS A SENATOR

According to this morning's Hill McCain "is the only presidential candidate in Congress to have missed a major vote on the Iraq war this year, and his absences are not sitting well with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid." Reid's office pointed out that McCain "has spent considerable time defending the president on Iraq and catering to the Republican base on immigration, but has only managed to show up for four of the last 14 Iraq votes and parachute into [yesterday’s] immigration press conference at the last minute." Reid hasn't suggested that McCain resign from the Senate but it is clear that he should.


UPDATE: McCAIN ISN'T JUST TESTY, HE'S A POTTY-MOUTHED DIRTY OLD MAN

John McCain launched into a vicious, vituperative attack on fellow right-wing Republican John Cornyn (TX) during a debate about the immigration bill. Calling him a "chicken shit" and screaming "Fuck You!" McCain gave senators another lively demonstration of why he is the most personally disliked man in the U.S. Senate, not counting his tiny fan club of the always-contrary Joe Lieberman and McCain's gay little Mini-Me (R-SC) who's always been a sucker for violent men who talk dirty.