McCain: I'll Come Back To Senate For Oil

On Monday, John McCain lambasted Congress for adjourning without passing an energy bill, saying he'd be willing to "come off the campaign trail" and return to Washington if Democratic leadership would simply "come off of vacation" and go to work on off-shore drilling.

"The Congress, doing nothing, decided to go on a five-week recess,'' said McCain. "Congress should come back into session... and I'm willing to come off the campaign trail."

If he follows through on his threat -- and it seems incredibly unlikely -- it would mean that the promise of more oil did what equal pay for women, greater veterans benefits, and a bevy of environmental and energy issues have not: mainly, persuade McCain to actually return to the Senate. Indeed, by this point in time, the nation's capital is likely foreign land for the presumptive Republican nominee. In all, McCain has missed 63.3% of votes in the 100th Congress: 399 votes all together.

Here are a few of the most notable issues that, unlike off shore drilling, couldn't persuade the Senator into legislative action:

-Medicare Reimbursement Cuts, 7/9/08

-The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, 7/9/08

-The New GI Bill, 6/28/08

-A $44 Billion Stimulus Package (McCain was in D.C. at the time) 2/7/08

-Equal Pay Legislation, 2/23/08

-All 15 Key Environmental Votes, according to the League of Conservation Voters