Nothing new. Just what you expected. Maybe a bit sooner.
Democrats have decided to allow a quarter-century ban on drilling for oil off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to expire next week, conceding defeat in an month-long battle with the White House and Republicans set off by $4 a gallon gasoline prices this summer.
I never thought there was much chance of the Dems ever showing spine on any issue where they did not have majority backing on the polls. But it still rankles -- all those defeats when they could have won at least some.
I have a theory why.
I think the Republicans have so few issues that are popular with the public that all of them sing from the same songbook. Democrats are cursed with such a vast diversity of popular positions that one's singing the economy song while another's tooting the energy horn and a third is beating the war drum -- none of our messages get re-inforced by continual "drill here drill now" repetition.
Whatever the reason, let's go lick our wounds and come back healed. We still have the bailout battle to lose.