One gets the feel on Capitol Hill among some fairly sharp people of a lack of horizon, a paucity of progressive determination, a sense of being overwhelmed by the corporate forces still bearing down on Congress—easily the most powerful branch of government under our Constitution.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has split the Democratic front opposed to drilling with a plan that would open new areas for exploration.

Mr. Reid is a miner’s son whose home state of Nevada depends heavily on mining, and it is hard to overstate his lack of enthusiasm for serious reform.

''This is embarrassingly past due,'' said Jane Danowitz, head of the Pew Campaign for Responsible Mining. ''Congress is scratching around for money for all sorts of things, and here we have an industry'' that ''can take precious valuable minerals from public lands without paying a dime.''

It was the new Democratic majority's inability to work across the aisle that ultimately ensured failure. Like the Republicans they had replaced, senior Democrats chose confrontation over cooperation.

The Senate (reportedly still under Democratic control) seems determined to help President Bush violate Americans' civil liberties and undermine the constitutional separation of powers. Majority Leader Harry Reid is supporting White House-backed legislation that would expand the administration's ability to spy on Americans without court supervision...

Democrats took control of Congress last January promising a "new direction." A year later, the image that haunts them most is one symbolizing no direction at all: gridlock.

Kyl-Lieberman is the first step in providing Congressional legitimacy for military action against Iran.