Senate Further Than Ever From Energy Deal

Here's the Senate choreography on the energy debate as both sides prepare to face voters having done nothing on the energy crisis:

First, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell confidently walked to the Senate floor today to ask for an open back and forth debate _ with multiple amendments from both parties _ on oil and gas prices.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid quickly objected, saying Republicans were too obsessed with drilling.

Then a few accusations ensued. McConnell said Reid was dissing the institution of the Senate by rejecting open debate, saying that open debate was "entirely consistent with issues of this magnitude."

Reid, always armed with quick comebacks, slammed Republicans as "wanting to to back to yesterday forever" by pushing for drilling over conservation and a crackdown on oil speculators.

The reality is that Reid may not want to see how many Democratic senators would embrace an oil drilling amendment, and McConnell doesn't want to back his GOP colleagues into blocking the oil speculation bill, which may be the only energy bill voted on before Labor Day.

With that, both sides are preparing their August recess talking points for the campaign trail, with nothing to show on the legislative front on gas prices. Even if the Senate had a breakthrough on oil production, the issue is moot on the House side, where Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) won't allow any drilling votes.