USSenator Daniel Akaka was a sorry sight standing nearly alone on theSenate floor in the final hours of the 111th Congress, giving a speechblaming Republican obstruction for the failure yet again of his Akaka Bill for native Hawaiian political recognition.
Thistime, it was nobody's fault but his own; Akaka simply blew his bestchance ever to win Hawaiians sovereign rights similar to those ofAmerican Indians and Alaskan natives.
Aftereight years of being unable to overcome Bush administration oppositionand procedural delays by Senate Republicans, Akaka began this Congresswith a supportive Democratic president and Democratic majorities in theHouse and Senate, including a filibuster-proof 60 votes in the SenateDemocratic caucus.
Evenwhen the loss of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy's seat prevented Democratsfrom killing filibusters on their own, it wasn't a problem becauseHawaii's Republican Governor Linda Lingle supported the Akaka Bill andbrought along enough GOP votes to overcome procedural delays.
ThenAkaka snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Instead of getting itdone while everything was in his favor, he wasted a year in secret talks with the White House and a narrow group of Hawaiian interests to drastically amend the bill from the version supporters had previously agreed to.
Inexplicably, Akaka kept Lingle in the dark on the changes, and she withdrew her support because of a significant weakening of the state's rights.
Then-USRepepresentative Neil Abercrombie shepherded the bill through the Housebefore he quit to run for governor, but the measure stalled in theSenate when its Republican backers pulled their support followingLingle's reversal.
Akakawasted more months before finally making the compromises necessary toget Lingle back on board. By then it was summer, and there was no wayhis relatively manini bill would get precious floor time in the heat ofthe election campaign or in the poisonous lame-duck session thatfollowed.
Akaka is againsinging his tired wait till next year tune, but the Akaka Bill is dead.If he couldn't get it passed in this favorable Congress, he has nochance next year when Republicans take over the House and gain eightseats in the Senate....
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