In spite of John McCain’s assertion that he is a maverick who is working hard for the hard-working American people, one need only to investigate the facts to learn that in all actuality, he is quite the opposite. More to the point,

McCain is downright slothful.

Thanks to this blog, we learn that Senator McCain has a lousy work ethic. According to this article, after workweeks filled with fundraisers, town hall meetings and interviews, most of McCain's weekends are kickback time.

He’s usually spending time with family, friends and campaign advisers at residences in Arlington, Va., and Phoenix or vacation homes near Sedona, Ariz., and San Diego.

Barack Obama, however, has worked on many weekends, making eight weekend appearances alone during the month of June.

Nothing could be more evident of McCain’s indolence than his voting record.

Fact: John McCain has missed a whopping 367 votes (61.4%) during the current Congress.

Fact: McCain has missed more votes than any other senator since the convening of Congress in January, with the exception of Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD), who suffered from a brain hemorrhage, and spent months recuperating.

Granted, a presidential run is quite time-consuming, but McCain’s dismal record represents more than twice the missing votes of Barack Obama.

McCain’s excuse?

Back in February, he claimed:

"It's very hard, obviously. I've missed a lot of votes, and there's no doubt about it,"

Now pull out your handkerchiefs!

"Although with Senator Reid setting the schedule, I'm sure he shows a little more consideration to their schedule (Obama and Clinton). I'm not sure mine is uppermost," McCain said, referring to Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada.

In fact, Obama and Clinton have missed fewer votes

Ah yes, let’s accuse the Democrats of favoritism in scheduling votes; as though the Democrats are really in control of items to be voted on. Besides, isn’t this the pot calling the kettle black?

McCain’s voting record since 1991 isn’t much better. See a complete list of his missing votes.

When the Arizona senator did show up for a vote in the Senate, he managed to vote along with the majority of his Republican cronies 88.3% of the time during the current Congress. To see a list of his Senatorial votes since 1991, go here.

The next time you see or hear a talking head utter phrases maverick and hard-worker in describing Senator John McCain, please feel free to correct the ignoramus with the facts! McCain is nothing more than a hardly-working GOP shill.