GOP U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kirk keeps cashing in on his cap-and-trade flip-flop. At the start of July, Kirk's campaign received a $5,000 contribution from COALPAC, a political action committee of the National Mining Association (NMA). This follows a series of donations Kirk grabbed over the past nine months from several oil and gas conglomerates. It's pretty clear why environmental advocacy organizations have decided to support his opponent, State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias.