From the WSJ's Afternoon Report:
Republicans won that battle, but lost the next, falling four votes short of stopping a filibuster of a must-pass military spending bill that had been amended to include a provision allowing drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. By attaching the ANWR provision to a military-spending bill, Republicans had hoped to force Democrats to make a politically unpopular vote in order to oppose ANWR drilling. Democrats and some Republicans called that a cynical ploy and launched the filibuster. Republicans had been talking about possibly using a limited version of the "nuclear" option -- a parliamentary tool to preempt filibusters -- but only temporarily, to get the ANWR provision passed. But after the initial vote to stop the filibuster failed, it appeared likely that Republicans would simply drop the ANWR provision altogether. Use of the nuclear option might have inspired Democrats to ratchet up their own resistance, setting the stage for an unhappy new year on Capitol Hill.
Update: From CNN Senate Blocks Attempt ...
The Senate blocked oil drilling in an Alaska wildlife refuge Wednesday, rejecting a must-pass defense spending bill where supporters positioned the quarter-century-old environmental issue to garner broader support.
It was a stinging defeat for Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, one of the Senate's most powerful members, who had given senators a choice to support the Alaska drilling measure, or risk the political fallout of voting against money for American troops and for victims of Hurricane Katrina.
From Reuters Democrats Block ...
Republican Pete Domenici of New Mexico will try again in the spring to attach ANWR drilling to a filibuster-proof bill, an aide said. Domenici said oil platforms already operate on Alaska's North Slope in an environmentally sensitive way.
