Remember this one? McCain wanted Obama to join his own separate group, which was actually just him and Lieberman, that was drawing up an ethics reform bill. Obama said he preferred to let the proper committee deal with it first. Of course, the fact that Obama was not blown away by his Maverickness seemed to irk J. Sidney a bit, as his letter to Obama reveals:
I would like to apologize to you for assuming that your private assurances to me regarding your desire to cooperate in our efforts to negotiate bipartisan lobbying reform legislation were sincere. When you approached me and insisted that despite your leadership's preference to use the issue to gain a political advantage in the 2006 elections, you were personally committed to achieving a result that would reflect credit on the entire Senate and offer the country a better example of political leadership, I concluded your professed concern for the institution and the public interest was genuine and admirable. Thank you for disabusing me of such notions with your letter to me dated February 2, 2006, which explained your decision to withdraw from our bipartisan discussions. I'm embarrassed to admit that after all these years in politics I failed to interpret your previous assurances as typical rhetorical gloss routinely used in politics to make self-interested partisan posturing appear more noble. Again, sorry for the confusion, but please be assured I won't make the same mistake again.
McCain continued pounding his fists like a 2 year old who got his Barney toy taken away, accusing Obama of trying to exploit the issue for partisan gain:
As I noted, I initially believed you shared that goal. But I understand how important the opportunity to lead your party's effort to exploit this issue must seem to a freshman Senator, and I hold no hard feelings over your earlier disingenuousness. Again, I have been around long enough to appreciate that in politics the public interest isn't always a priority for every one of us. Good luck to you, Senator.
Obama, as always, was cool and classy in his response:
I confess that I have no idea what has prompted your response. But let me assure you that I am not interested in typical partisan rhetoric or posturing. The fact that you have now questioned my sincerity and my desire to put aside politics for the public interest is regrettable but does not in any way diminish my deep respect for you nor my willingness to find a bipartisan solution to this problem.
Even after one year in the Senate, Obama had more class and respect for his colleagues than John "GET OFF MY LAWN" McCain learned in his 20 years in the institution. Wonder what his 2-man committee with Lieberdouche sounded like.