All the media types seem to be bashing Democrats in the Senate for the all-night marathon before losing a key vote on their Iraq War withdrawal measure. They used phrases that the vote as a ‘sound political defeat’ for the leadership, etc. A foolish concept since everyone new what the vote would be before they started that is except for one Maine Republican who defected her party because of her tough reelection battle in a fiercely independent state.

Of course lost in the noise was the fact that a majority of senators would have voted for the measure had it not been for the rule that requires 60 percent approval of proposals brought to the floor. This is the same rule that bottled up civil rights legislature for decades until the early 1960s. In a way the Dems made their point and are now moving on.

There is of course a danger. A poll last week by the Associated Press noted that the approval rating for Congress is even lower than President Bush’s. It’s hovering in the 20s. If the Democrats are going to curry favor with the electorate for the next election, they are going to have to fix this. While Harry Reid looks good to the party’s base supporters, his image is probably way too shrill for most Americans. But then he might be the only distinguished member of the Senate that isn’t either 80 years old or running for President.