Over the weekend, Senator Daschle announced that nuclear power is dead, drilling in northern Alaska is dead, missile defense is dead, the Bush judicial nominees are moribund, the prescription drug entitlement is alive and the tort lawyers' bill of rights is alive. These statements need to be translated out of Beltwayspeak. Mr. Daschle surely doesn't plan to risk exposing his party to the deep water of final votes on any of these things. And the Senate would cast an overwhelming bipartisan vote to defeat the Kyoto Treaty. Too many young unionists want to privately invest part of their payroll taxes to permit a vote on Social Security privatization.
Real votes are anathema to liberals.
Instead, Mr. Daschle will more likely spend two years playing variations on the public politics of the Jeffords defection. Mr. Daschle would cash out in November 2002. This is a good strategy. It could work, so long as the White House lets Senator Daschle keep the public's understanding of any of these matters confined to the Beltway's description of them. The Beltway's interests in the success of a Bush Presidency are zero.