Dems find a backbone

As the NY Times is reporting, the Democrats are lining up enough votes to filibuster the defense appropriations act based on the inclusion of a provision that would open the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR) to oil drilling. Even Joe Lieberman, who more and more resembles a Republican, has promised to take part in the filibuster. While it would pose the risk of a backlash because the appropriations bill provides pay increases for the military, the filibuster is an effort to take a stand on procedural grounds. The Democrats rightly oppose the use of a defense appropriations bill to pass the ANWR drilling, which could not be passed on its own merits. It is an energy issue and therefore should not be tacked onto a defense bill. The reason for its inclusion in the defense appropriations bill, besides its own political failure, is a gamble by the Republicans that Democrats would support the bill in order not to be seen as compromising military funding based on opposition to ANWR. However, the game of appropriations "chicken" may continue as long as the Democrats can garner enough support for their filibuster (they need 41 votes in the Senate to block attempts at cloture).