The Big Picture

Maine voters pulled the lever for Sen. Susan Collins in 1996 and again in 2002 for a variety of reasons.

But if you set aside her hardcore Republican supporters--who were too few in number to provide the margin for victory in either race--it's safe to say the following: Voters thought of Collins as a moderate, clear-thinking, independent-minded pol, more loyal to Maine values than conservative ideology or the national Republican party.

And independents and Democrats voted for her on that basis.

But today, five-and-a-half years after Collins' 2002 victory, that justification seems exceedingly thin.

Because voters who counted on Collins to be a force for moderation and an agent of common sense have little to show for their investment.

Whether it's the war in Iraq--which Collins backed from the beginning and continues to support--the torture bill or the Alito nomination, Collins didn't just fail to stop the disastrous, immoderate drift of national policy. She accelerated its progress.

Of course Collins would be the first to tell you that she has qualms about the Iraq war; that she opposes huge deficits; and that she thinks the President's inaction on global warming is a shame.

But nearly every time she's had an opportunity to act on these beliefs, she's swallowed hard and voted with her Republican colleagues. And by being a loyal supporter of the President, she's helped ease the country's path toward disrepute, lawlessness and fiscal ruin.

Maine deserved better. It deserves better.