Last week it was widely reported that John McCain's decision to skip a crucial Senate vote doomed a much-needed clean energy measure to failure by a single vote - his.
His Senate office was besieged with calls, thanks to a Sierra Club campaign. McCain's staffers responded to callers by lying about McCain's vote, saying he had voted "yes."
The vote took place the day after Super Tuesday. Senators Clinton and Obama were there, and voted "yes". McCain -- the supposedly Green Republican -- was in Washington, but decided to skip the vote. It was the second time in two months that his missing vote has doomed support for clean energy in Congress.
Carl Pope, the Executive Director of the Sierra Club, has posted an account on his blog -- which -- yes -- he writes himself, called John McCain Should Be Ashamed:
I have just listened to carefully coached staff members for Senator John McCain lie repeatedly about the Senator's failure to show up and vote on the first Senate economic-stimulus package, which included tax incentives for clean energy.
How many times do we have to learn the lesson, that in politics, the cover-up is worse than the crime?
McCain now has hell to pay, and it's a good thing. Because his suspect green creds are now exposed for all to see, and on energy and climate issues, there is a clear and crucial difference between him and the Democratic contenders.
Let's see if the mainstream media -- noticeably brain dead on climate issues to this point in the presidential campaign -- presses the case, now that it has a juicy scandal to pounce on.