The theme of the first presidential debate on Friday night was set to be foreign policy and national security. However, with the current economy on everyone’s mind, the discussion delved fairly deeply into the economic crisis and possible solutions. And despite Jim Lehrer’s work to keep the discussion away from energy and the environment, Sen. Barack Obama made some connections between economic revitalization and rebuilding our energy infrastructure. In that particular exchange, Senator Obama raised the issue of McCain’s questionable support for renewable energy:

“Over 26 years, Sen. McCain voted 23 times against alternative energy like solar, and wind, and biodiesel. We gotta walk walk the walk and not just talk the talk when it comes to energy independence.”

McCain replied with a sneer that was the first of many such gestures throughout the night and said, “No one from Arizona is against solar.” When Obama pushed even further on McCain’s questionable support for renewables, the Republican Senator replied, “I have voted for alternate fuel all of my time and no one can be opposed to alternate energy!”

Watch it:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/dVhSQ8apV0E&hl=en&fs=1]

Throughout this campaign, McCain has been claiming that he is Mr. Renewable Energy, but the Senator’s record says something completely different. I understand that it can be demanding work – being the star in a busy presidential campaign – but when renewable energy tax credits come up for a vote in the Senate, Senator McCain can’t even be bothered to show! And that has been the case even when he is already in town and his vote would be the deciding one.

For the Senator to come out and perpetrate such misinformation with his “Of course I support,” and his “No one is against” claims is more than a little disingenuous, it is a boldface lie. A lie he has repeated so many times now, he must be starting to believe in it himself.