"AJ said, Obama is actually going to make it back to D.C. to vote? Thats unusual for him. Oops - there's a farm vote that is important for Iowa, silly me. Of course he'll make that one. It's the ones like the Iran vote that he cant be bothered to make…"

David from Dallas, TX replied:
"Obama attending and voting 'no' wouldn't have changed anything: the resolution would have passed and he would have signaled to us that he didn't support the resolution.

Let's get real–the man's running for president. Do you think he and America would be better served by WASTING TIME IN THE SENATE when his vote won't change anything, OR ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL EDUCATING US ABOUT WHAT HE DOES AND DOESN'T STAND FOR, SO WE CAN MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VOTE FOR HIM?

IMHO, senator candidates have an obligation to stay on the campaign trail unless their vote might make a difference or their vote tells us something about them."

Posted By David, Dallas Tx : December 13, 2007 10:12 am

ABOVE COMMENT OF THE DAY: BOTH PRICELESS AND CLUELESS

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00349

Not Voting - 2
McCain (R-AZ)
Obama (D-IL)

Guess the OTHER 98 MEMBERS OF THE SENATE must have considered the Vote on Iran Sanctions pretty important business?!

Sure was refreshing to see Senator Obama still plugging away out there on the campaign trail though - instead of being crowded into the stuffy old US Senate Chambers!!

And we wonder why Somewhere in Texas a Village is Missing It's Idiot?!

HERE COMES THE MUPPETS! LOL

Vermonter for Change and David in Dallas:

Obama was elected to office to do a job. I find it interesting that you, and those like you, believe that because he's campaigning for President that gives him the right to shirk his responsibilities? He has not bothered to show up for almost 80% of the Senate roll call votes since September. Does this make him a model of responsibility and integrity? He shows up for votes that may help him on the campaign trail and avoids those that may not. This man is an empty suit who will make G. W. Bush look like the model president.

"Hey Joe", says Obama, "I'm going to go get my photo op with the you big guys! Now let's get hopping before Chris leeches onto our comet tails."

They expelled all that CO2 to go to Washington and vote for another tax loaded partisan bill that fell flat on its face.
Great job dems!!(plam applause please)

I'm sure half these critical of these guys harming the environment don't carpool either.
Practice what you preach people, good one TD!

The quality of these comments is awful. There's Too much bad attitude and very little facts.

If you don't like the quality of our candidates and elected officials, consider the quality of voters.

(1) There is only one daily flight from Des Moines (IA) directly to Washington, DC and given the last minute scheduling of the vote there probably wasn’t time to get a seat on it any way.
(2) The voters want people who run for office to get out and actually RUN for office. So they need to be in IA, NH and SC.
(3) The voters who elect people to office want elected official to represent them. So they need to be in DC to vote.

To balance #2 and #3, the candidates have to fly back and forth.

(4) Some votes aren't important or their outcomes are obvious in advance, so why waste the time traveling to vote.
(5) It takes a lot of time to be a candidate and it takes a lot of time to represent their own people as Governors or Senators. They have to be efficient with their time, meeting with staff, preparing for and conducting business in government or on the campaign trail. They can't do that while traveling alone or with opponents or on a commercial flight.

(NOTE: Romney isn't currently in office. He had a few minutes the other day to get out in the Des Moines skywalk to meet people. But you can bet he got right back to work afterwards.)

My fellow Americans:
Stick to the issues!
Stop the character attacks!
Learn the facts!
Be reasonable!

I would not be in favor of ride sharing because of the possibility of making the presidential candidates an easy target.

I am so proud of Obama. While I think there is alot for him when he become the president if he wins, I think he has gone through so much. I also think if he looses he will loose and live with respect that he holds…

It is time for the American people to wise up and vote INDEPENDENT in 2008!

We don't know the circumstances that led to this. Lets get real, they are all very busy and have complicated schedules.

Obama is actually going to vote? It is about time, if it actually happens.

"But in a bit of irony, after presumably voting to lower carbon emissions, Each of the candidates are chattering their own plane back to Iowa to make a Democratic debate at 2 p.m. ET."

Is anyone at CNN proofreading these articles?

"Each" should not be capitalized after a comma. "Candidates are chattering…." should read "Candidates are chartering…."

Hurried or not, there is no excuse for these misspellings, grammer, and punctuation errors.

i believe in obama, running for president is not an easy task, i think he will bring in real change and prosperity for this country, leading with good judgement, and having the strong will to fix the things that ail this country…

Well just call me astonished that the worthless lump of a Senator from my home state suddenly recalled that he had a job to do in the Senate on behalf of his state. Great to see Dodd remembering that CT sent him there and that CT deserves 2 senate votes, not just 1 as it has been.

Senators and Represenatives shouldn't be missing votes period unless they are up for re-election. They were elected to represent their constituents interests, not run for president. And of course Hillary promised to finish her current term of office but we all knew that way a lie anyways. Turns out she is a compulsive liar just like Bill since it wouldn't have hurt her election run to tell the truth and say she planned on running for president.

Well, I'm glad they came in for a vote. Too bad they were not able to pass the energy bill over taxing the oil companies. As bad as we're being hit, the oil companies need to ante up, too.

Someone will have to teach Barack how to press the correct button for his vote… I am sure he does not know how to do it…..

All the homage to Gore — Yet the energy consumed and pollution created by the candidates is astounding. Politics in action.

They can't fly commercial because of security and because of time constraints. That is just ignorant to even think that would make any sense. You should stop bashing and use logic in ur arguments

Is it too much to ask that they fly commercial like normal Americans, and demonstrate real concern for the environment? How much will that many individual aircraft in the air pollute as opposed to a single airliner?

Enormous amounts more. The total saved would be enough to offset several hundred cars. A classic example of the "fake" conservationist effort. Goes right along with the meeting in Australia.

I'm a democrat, I'm voting for Hillary, but geesh, this really is hypocritical, and looks bad. Do they think we just won't notice?

Of course, they would all want to be in Washington to cast meaningful and well publicized votes on the wasteful farm bill; they know they will be catering to the over-subsidized corporate "farmer," another special interest that receives huge chunks of our tax dollars in order to make them more "competitive." Talk about waste…

AJ said, Obama is actually going to make it back to D.C. to vote? Thats unusual for him. Oops - there's a farm vote that is important for Iowa, silly me. Of course he'll make that one. It's the ones like the Iran vote that he cant be bothered to make…
Obama attending and voting "no" wouldn’t have changed anything: the resolution would have passed and he would have signaled to us that he didn't support the resolution.

Let's get real–the man's running for president. Do you think he and America would be better served by wasting time in the Senate when his vote won't change anything, or on the campaign trail educating us about what he does and doesn't stand for, so we can make an informed decision whether or not to vote for him?

IMHO, senator candidates have an obligation to stay on the campaign trail unless their vote might make a difference or their vote tells us something about them.

Whoa, Barack Obama isn't ducking a vote? that's craziness!

I wonder which special interest groups picked up the tabs for the private airplanes? Wonder what else was thrown in………..

What a bunch of lousy hypocrites!!!!

They're all the same, party affiliation really doesn't make a difference.

No time to fly commercial guys. Change at O'Hare and miss the debate. Also, am questioning Reid's timing. This is almost as bad as the Iran vote when he pulled a "fast one" at the last minute making it impossible for Obama to be there,

Sorry, AJ in Montpelier, your post doesn't fly (pun intended)

If the senate rules prohibit them from chartering a plane together they really should take a second look at that. Its quite silly to be voting on lowering carbon emissions and then going out and taking seperate planes to the same place!

You're kidding Surrealist, aren't you? Did you read the story? They're going back to DC to vote on a FARM BILL. If they didn't do this, they would look pretty bad in Iowa. This is completely due to their "campaign interests." Duh!

Is it too much to ask that they fly commercial like normal Americans, and demonstrate real concern for the environment? How much will that many individual aircraft in the air pollute as opposed to a single airliner?

Nice photo. The next President and Vice President of the United States. Oh, and Chris Dodd … "guys, can I get in the cabinet?"

Do as we say, not as we do.

What great leadership qualities those dem candidates have…

Great, so they are flying back to vote. But have they spent any real time examining the bill(s) or will they just be voting party lines. I am not just referring to the Dem's here. Do we the American people really get what we paid for when our representatives are running about campaigning for another position? If they are not able to devote their energies to the task at hand (what they were hired to do), then they should resign and focus their energies on their campaign. Would your employer allow you to work in this manner?

"…are each chattering their own plane back to Iowa…"

Wait, what? The candidates are talking to their planes to get back to Iowa? Crazy talk!

I'm glad to see that these members of the 110th congress are doing exactly what their GOP rivals said they wouldn't–honoring their Senate duties above their campaign interests. Take that EIB Radio Network and FOX–you were incorrect in your character bashing assessments of these fine Democratic legislators. My 2 cents.

"are each chattering their own plane back to Iowa …

Wouldn't that be chartering? Will they be on the same plane? That would make sense to me if they are all going to the same place and are to be there at the same time. Or, is there so much hate and contention that they can't occupy the same space at the same time? Maybe if they were on the same plane they could 'chat it up' a little bit, maybe "chatter" the plane together.

This action shows a lack of commitment on the very issue they will vote on and tout as their contribution to the environment, reducing their 'carbon footprint'.

The whole carbon business is a scam that they can use to garner more power and control over our lives by introducing more taxes and fees to enrich the government. Does anyone really think that confiscating more money will reduce the amount of methane in bovine flatulation? Will sending more of your money to Washington reduce the amount of pollution created at a power plant?

Sure, it might go to fund some research that leads to cleaner burning fuels, but it looks to me that the private sector is already doing something about that.

Why is it that all of the "accomplishments" and "experience" listed in their resumes involves how they've creatively spent more of our money to entitle others?

Obama is actually going to make it back to D.C. to vote? Thats unusual for him. Oops - there's a farm vote that is important for Iowa, silly me. Of course he'll make that one. It's the ones like the Iran vote that he cant be bothered to make…

Well, I hope one or two of them show up for the SCHIP over-ride vote in January. I hope SOMEBODY shows up before we give Bush his 70 BILLION dollars for the war. Money that the Democrats vowed NOT to give. What the heck is going on in this country? What happened to the "checks and balances"? Our government has turned into a dictatorship wih democracy being the big joke. After reading todays news I walk away disgusted and hopeless that anything good will ever be accomplished by our government again. Oh- and giving that poor vet $700 and change for a wrongful conviction in WWII- just priceless. I'm sick of the lot of you.

Go Joe Biden. To all of you who say Joe is my second choice. It is time to take a closer look. He is the right man to be president. Who wants 24 YEARS of Bush and Clinton? It is time for a change. It is time for Joe Biden.

The STORY here should be the HYPOCRISY displayed by the Democrats on this issue.

Individual private luxury jets after a vote on Carbon Emmissions. It sure points out that don't intend to follow what they force down YOUR throat.

That CNN even mentions it at all amazes me, given thier recent "Ethical Issues" of late…

These 3 Democrat Secular Progressives are of the upper echelon don't you know. Hierarchy do not practice moderation in any form, that is reserved for the lowlife commoners who keep these liars in luxury by paying heavy taxes and going without basic needs. Oh, I do believe I've noticed hair growing under Hillary's nose lately.

Barack Obama is actually going to show up for a vote? I'll believe it when I see it.

Thank God they are finally going to do some voting!

Even if it's to show the Iowa voters that they care about Iowa!

Will Barack REALLY do his own voting?

"Biden, Clinton, and Obama are each chattering their own plane back to Iowa "

Chattering, huh? Tell us how you really feel about Democratic politicians.

It IS ironic that in the middle of a vote on carbon emissions, politicians can't be bothered to fly commercial and "save" the environment in one small step. (but the funniest of all is Al Gore who regularly flies in private planes, but I guess he's SOOO important, he can't be bothered either to follow his own advice)

Has CNN fully investigated Obama's past drug use and to what extent did Obama ever "deal" in drugs?
Those liberal voters should be made aware!!!