My mouth dropped open when I saw the number: $427 million. That's how much the oil and coal industries spent during the first half of 2008 to influence public opinion and public policy according to the nonpartisan reform group Public Campaign Action Fund. The analysis looked at four different areas: political contributions, lobbying expenditures, paid advertising and political spending by outside organizations.

You wonder where John McCain gets his line about "drill here, drill now?" It comes from industry front groups who are getting some of this dough.

Among the findings is that they've spent over $200 million on advertising alone. That is a hell of an echo chamber they're giving to John McCain and the Republican Party.

Read the full report.