Yesterday we learned that Senate Majority leader, Tom Daschle supports the outrageous corporate welfare legislation disguised as an energy bill before the senate. Should we be surprised? I don't think so. Daschle has a history of going along to get along. He was deeply in bed with the neo-cons and their so-called "war on terrorism" in the wake of 9/11. While observers might cut him some slack on that stance, given the tenor of the times, how do they explain his complete cave-in to the invasion of Iraq? Try political opportunism. Add some lack of backbone. Like many of his fellow Democrats at the time (with the notable exceptions of Senators Byrd & Kennedy), Daschle climbed aboard the war wagon and didn't look back. If he had, he would have seen millions of U.S. citizens utterly opposed to the policy of pre-emption and a war for empire and oil.

The so-called energy bill, perhaps best described as the "Leave no Lobbyist Behind Act" by John McCain (though not for all the right reasons) is a total giveaway to Big Oil, Old King Coal and corporate nuke boosters. In the interest of self-interest, Daschle no doubt supports this venal legislation mainly to please his corporate farm constituents. That's all well and.....well, not good but expected for any senator, but the leader of the loyal opposition must have other dynamics to consider. Daschle's not doing that and thus, not doing his job. Other senators are breaking party ranks on this particular pathetic piece of pandering; where's the Dems' fearless leader?

Big Oil is, of course, firmly embedded in the Whitehouse and its deathgrip on business as usual in the U.S. is a vile and powerful thing to behold. While alternative fuels like ethanol may be helpful in releasing Big Oil's grasp, much more attention and funding will have to go for conservation, wind, solar, tidal, geothermal and small hydro energy. That's not happening in the bill before the U.S.Senate. No, the energy legislation in the U.S. Senate is corporate welfare, plain and simple, and the man who should be leading the fight to change it has once again demonstrated his inability to do the right thing. Be gone, Tom Daschle.