Sure'd be nice to get some more kumbaya out of Congress these days.

Like the kind I saw on Sunday morning between Arizona's Sen. John McCain and Colorado's Sen. Mark Udall.

I was doing my usual TV thing at Denver's NBC affiliate 9News when 2% of the U.S. Senate -- one Republican and one Democrat -- walked in, practically hand in hand, getting ready to confront climate change and save our national parks.

It was a great surprise because I've always been a big fan of McCain, except for that one time when he ran for president.

"We're going to have to rename Glacier National Park because there's no glacier left," McCain declared in an interview with 9News' political reporter Adam Schrager, who graciously permitted me to serve as his studio audience.
Yes, but can we really blame the melting ice on humans?

"I agree with Sen. McCain that the evidence is very, very strong," said Udall.

The senators were preparing for a Senate field hearing near Rocky Mountain National Park on Monday, where they would explore ways to get rid of this pesky beetle that thrives amid the warmer winters and keeps eating all the trees.

The beetle, however, has been a boon for the firewood industry. And, geez, what ever happened to those ideologue conservatives who see climate change as an Al Gore conspiracy to sabotage business and derail the global economy?
"I think we've come a long way," McCain said, "but there's a few left that still refuse to acknowledge the realities. I respect that, but the scientific evidence is really overwhelming."

"It's irrefutable," said Udall. "And even .. skeptics .. (should ask), who wants to be beholden to the Iranians or the Saudis or the Russians?"

Part of the problem, both Udall and McCain agreed, is that we just don't have enough nukes. You want energy independence, you need to split atoms.

"Nuclear power has to be a part of any real way of reducing our dependence on fossil fuels," said McCain. "The only country that is meeting its Kyoto standards for greenhouse gas emissions in Europe is France -- 80% of their electricity is generated by nuclear power."

Udall concurred, adding that we should burn more natural gas, too. Oh, and more solar and wind and biofuel, too.
McCain then agreed with Udall again: "Tony Blair once said to me, "Suppose we are wrong and there's no such thing as climate change, and yet we move ahead with alternative energy .. All we've done is given our kids a cleaner planet. But what if we are right and do nothing?'"

And then Udall agreed some more: "Who is more radical? Somebody who wants to just double the amount of greenhouse gases in the next 50 years and see what happens. Or those people who want to respond now?"

Then came the subject of our nearly $12 trillion national debt, which both senators agreed was really, really big.
"I am afraid we have just committed generational theft," said McCain.

And you can't trust thieves, so McCain wants an independent commission to decide how to cut spending and let Congress vote on its recommendations. Kind of like how the BRAC, or Base Realignment and Closure Commission, has long been closing military bases against a tide of localized political objections.

"John's right," Udall said.

They both even agree that President Obama should have line-item veto power to strike out the pork. But then came the more divisive subject of health-care reform.

"We do not need the public option," McCain declared in his predictable stand against government-provided health insurance.

"This is one place where John and I are going to continue our discussion," Udall politely demurred.

The glaciers keep melting, the U.S. economy is propped up by government debt, and an aging generation will only continue to rack up medical bills and strain the social security system and push the national debt further. But amid mind-boggling crises, the political discourse is often rife with shout-downs.

One of Obama's campaign promises was to somehow end this. But some people are still going to town hall meetings and stalling debate by yelling nonsense like "get your government hands off my Medicare." And some frustrated Democrats have threatened to jam health-care reform right past the minority Republicans.

Udall, who leans right, and McCain, who leans left, maintain a lifelong friendship amid their own disagreements in this increasingly hostile climate.

When McCain came to Congress as "a foot solider in the Reagan revolution," the senior senator who brought him along was Udall's late father, Mo.

"The Democrats were a huge majority," McCain recalled. "He could have easily ignored me. .. He was a generous and loving and kind man. .. I wish we had a lot more of that spirit .. today."

Since Mark Udall won his Senate seat last year, McCain seems to be returning the favor.

"I've been inspired by his story and his approach to public service," Udall said. "Sen. McCain has paid it forward."

So why can't our politicians just be friends given the massive challenges that lay ahead?

"There's a lot of new technology and things that divide us more," said McCain. "But every time I run into my constituents, they say they want us to work together."

(Al's Emporium, written by Dow Jones Newswires columnist Al Lewis, offers commentary and analysis on a wide range of business subjects through an unconventional perspective. The column is published each Tuesday and Thursday at 9 a.m. ET. Contact Al at al.lewis@dowjones.com or tellittoal.com)