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As Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama compete for the presidency in the fall of 2008, there are many rhetorical and substantive points of division between them that will be drawn. This morning, however, I’ve decided to look for points of agreement between the two.

Looking through their records in the Senate from 2007-2008, I see 62 bills that the two Senators have jointly supported through cosponsorship. That sounds like a lot of points of agreement, but a majority of those bills are symbolic in nature, with no effect on policy. One example of a symbolic bill agreed to by both Barack Obama and John McCain is S. Res. 157, “A resolution extending the best wishes of the Senate to New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine and expressing the Senate’s hope for his speedy and complete recovery.” 28 substantive bills in the Senate have gained the joint sponsorship of both Obama and McCain. Click on the links below to read the text of the bills for yourself:

S. 65, To modify the age-60 standard for certain pilots…

S. 223, To require Senate candidates to file designations, statements, and reports in electronic form.

S. 242, To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with respect to the importation of prescription drugs…

S. 280, To provide for a program to accelerate the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States by establishing a market-driven system of greenhouse gas tradeable allowances…

S. 311, To amend the Horse Protection Act to prohibit the shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of horses and other equines to be slaughtered for human consumption…

S. 340, To improve agricultural job opportunities, benefits, and security for aliens in the United States…

S. 400, To amend the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to ensure that dependent students who take a medically necessary leave of absence do not lose health insurance coverage…

S. 431, To require convicted sex offenders to register online identifiers…

S. 500, To establish the Commission to Study the Potential Creation of the National Museum of the American Latino…

S. 579, To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to make grants for the development and operation of research centers regarding environmental factors that may be related to the etiology of breast cancer.

S. 597, To extend the special postage stamp for breast cancer research for 4 years.

S. 625, To protect the public health by providing the Food and Drug Administration with certain authority to regulate tobacco products.

S. 694, To direct the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations to reduce the incidence of child injury and death occurring inside or outside of light motor vehicles…

S. 774, To amend the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to permit States to determine State residency for higher education purposes and to authorize the cancellation of removal and adjustment of status of certain alien students who are long-term United States residents and who entered the United States as children…

S. 970, To impose sanctions on Iran and on other countries for assisting Iran in developing a nuclear program…

S. 1051, To establish a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia at Constitution Gardens previously approved to honor free persons and slaves who fought for independence, liberty, and justice for all during the American Revolution.

S. 1606, To provide for the establishment of a comprehensive policy on the care and management of wounded warriors in order to facilitate and enhance their care, rehabilitation, physical evaluation, transition from care by the Department of Defense to care by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and transition from military service to civilian life…

S. 1675, To implement the recommendations of the Federal Communications Commission report to the Congress regarding low-power FM service…

S. 2829, To make technical corrections to section 1244 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, which provides special immigrant status for certain Iraqis…

S. AMDT 30 to S. 1, To establish a Senate Office of Public Integrity.

S. AMDT 43 to S. 1, To require disclosure of earmark lobbying by lobbyists.

S. AMDT 2019 to H.R. 1585, To provide for the care and management of wounded warriors.

S.AMDT.2402 to H.R.1538, To improve the management of medical care, personnel actions, and quality of life issues for members of the Armed Forces who are receiving medical care in an outpatient status.

S.AMDT.3508 to H.R.2419, To provide for the continuation of agricultural programs [crop subsidies] through fiscal year 2012…

S.AMDT.3695 to H.R.2419, to provide for the continuation of agricultural programs [crop subsidies] through fiscal year 2012…

S.AMDT.4347 to S.CON.RES.70, To establish an earmark moratorium for fiscal year 2009.

S.AMDT.4538 to H.R.1195, To create a bipartisan, bicameral special committee to investigate the improper insertion of an earmark for Coconut Road into the conference report of the 2005 highway bill…