Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) assailed Sen. Barak Obama (D-IL) as insincere, partisan, and a political opportunist in a letter responding to Obama’s decision not to join McCain’s bipartisan commission on reform. According to the Associated Press McCain wrote, “I concluded your professed concern for the institution and the public interest was genuine and admirable. Thank you for disabusing me of such notions.” Obama, in a letter responding to McCain, wrote that he had “no idea what ... prompted” such vicious language. The leader of the Democratic reform effort, Obama, sounded disappointed, but did maintained a collegial tone, “The fact that you have now questioned my sincerity ... 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.”

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and his staff will no longer use corporate jets to travel, according to Roll Call. McCain, voicing his support for a ban of the practice declared, “If I support such a proposal, I shouldn’t be violating it.” The leader of the Democratic reform effort, Sen. Barak Obama (D-IL), has also ceased using corporate jets and while acknowledging that every lawmaker has relied on this practice, “I am as guilty of this as any number of people,” he explained his reason to cease using the jets by stating, “Look, this is a subsidy, and this is a way of circumventing campaign finance rules.”