Going Native

The Senate fell four votes shy of invoking cloture on an unconstitutional bill to allow Americans who claim native Hawaiian blood to form a nationwide government of their own so they can behave like a "sovereign" Indian tribe. Thirteen Republicans voted for cloture, and thus, in effect, for the concept of race-based government in the U.S.: Thad Cochran (Miss.), Norm Coleman (Minn.), Susan Collins (Maine.), Pete Domenici (N.M.), Chuck Grassley (Iowa.), Chuck Hagel (Neb.), Jon Kyl (Ariz.), John McCain (Ariz.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Gordon Smith (Ore.), Olympia Snowe (Maine.), Arlen Specter (Pa.) and Ted Stevens (Alaska).