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[Mike Abendroth]

Washington D.C. -– Today, Senator McCain sent the following letter to
Senator Obama regarding ongoing Congressional efforts towards bipartisan
lobbying reform. The following is the text from that letter: 

February 6, 2006 

The Honorable Barack Obama 

United States Senate 

SH-713 

Washington, DC 20510 


Dear Senator Obama: 

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. 

As you know, the Majority Leader has asked Chairman Collins to hold hearings
and mark up a bill for floor consideration in early March. I fully support
such timely action and I am confident that, together with Senator Lieberman,
the Committee on Governmental Affairs will report out a meaningful,
bipartisan bill. 

You commented in your letter about my “interest in creating a task force to
further study” this issue, as if to suggest I support delaying the
consideration of much-needed reforms rather than allowing the committees of
jurisdiction to hold hearings on the matter. Nothing could be further from
the truth. The timely findings of a bipartisan working group could be very
helpful to the committee in formulating legislation that will be reported to
the full Senate. Since you are new to the Senate, you may not be aware of
the fact that I have always supported fully the regular committee and
legislative process in the Senate, and routinely urge Committee Chairmen to
hold hearings on important issues. In fact, I urged Senator Collins to
schedule a hearing upon the Senate’s return in January. 

Furthermore, I have consistently maintained that any lobbying reform
proposal be bipartisan. The bill Senators Joe Lieberman and Bill Nelson and
I have introduced is evidence of that commitment as is my insistence that
members of both parties be included in meetings to develop the legislation
that will ultimately be considered on the Senate floor. As I explained in a
recent letter to Senator Reid, and have publicly said many times, the
American people do not see this as just a Republican problem or just a
Democratic problem. They see it as yet another run-of-the-mill Washington
scandal, and they expect it will generate just another round of partisan
gamesmanship and posturing. Senator Lieberman and I, and many other members
of this body, hope to exceed the public’s low expectations. We view this as
an opportunity to bring transparency and accountability to the Congress,
and, most importantly, to show the public that both parties will work
together to address our failings. 

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. 



Sincerely, 





John McCain 

United States Senate 	


Charis,
 
Mike Abendroth
 
"Make us choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong, and never to
be contented with half truth when whole truth can be won.   Endow us with
courage that is born of loyalty to all that is noble and worthy, that scorns
to compromise with vice and injustice and knows no fear when right and truth
are in jeopardy."
  - West Point Military Academy Cadet Prayer
 
HYPERLINK "http://www.bbcchurch.org"www.bbcchurch.org
 


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