Voting “present” could mean that he was being paired with another state senator of a particular issue.
However, “pairing,” at least in my experience, was done if you were NOT present in the chamber and neither was the colleague with whom you were being paired who was on the other side of the issue.
During my time working in a state senate, voting “present” was akin to “abstain.”
Palin left a mark and McCain should follow up tonight with a roundhouse.