Perhaps the best example yet of the emptiness of the political discourse on "special interests": Mr. Thune repeated the obstructionist charge that Republicans have long leveled against Mr. Daschle, saying Mr. Daschle failed to secure passage of an energy bill last fall that included help for the ethanol industry. "It had everything that the South Dakota ethanol industry wanted," Mr. Thune said. "Tom decided to listen to his members of the liberal Democratic caucus and the special interest groups." Now, I know I had to read that one over a couple times to figure out that it's the ethanol industry on one side of this fight and the special interests on the other. Because apparently that industry doesn't count as a special interest. And yet they managed to get, as Thune says, everything they wanted into the bill. Lucky for them I guess...