Why McCain Skipped 9/11 Recommendations Vote

I knew there had to be a good reason that John McCain missed a critical vote on the 9/11 Commission recommendations in the Senate on Tuesday… I thought it might have been because he didn’t have the guts to go on the record and join 38 Republicans in opposing increased security for America -- though that may still be part of it.

No, McCain decided it was more important to be way out in California for a series of big-money fundraisers on Tuesday than to be on Capitol Hill voting on the bill intended to "make the United States more secure by implementing unfinished recommendations of the 9/11 Commission to fight the war on terror more effectively."

Here's his aggressive legislative agenda for Tuesday, right from his presidential campaign web site:



He probably figured, what the heck, with Democrats in control of Congress, the country's going to become safer with or without him there -- my vote is for without -- and the private fundraising event in Beverly Hills was expected to snag up to $250,000.

Oh, and by the way, Democratic Senators running for president, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd and Joe Biden all managed to show up for the big vote today.