One of the saddest things about the Democratic capitulation to the Republicans this week on the issue of offshore drilling is the fact that it’s entirely feckless. Democrats know this, but caved anyway, because, well, that’s what they do.

Not right away, of course. When the GOP demanded that their masters in the oil industry be able to drill virtually right up to the point where the waves wash ashore and little Sally is building her sand castle, the Democrats said no. There’s not enough oil, they said. It’s too dangerous, they said. We need to focus on renewable energy, they said. (And they were right.)

But we were just at Stage 1 of the Infinitely Repeating Democratic Shame Spiral: Denial.

Of course, the Republicans continued their pressure. (Why, by the way, does no one besides us seem to point out how the Republicans are doing Every. Single. Goddamn. Thing. the oil industry wants them to, from maintaining tax breaks to expanded drilling? Republicans even went to Washington to make speeches in a darkened House chamber, virtually jumping up and down for the tourists and yelling, “give our oil barons what they want!” And yet, it’s the Democrats who are screwing things up? Unbelievable.)

Anyway, as is inevitable, we came to Stage 2 of the Infinitely Repeating Democratic Shame Spiral: Compromise. Despite a ban on offshore drilling that’s endured for a quarter century, Democrats agreed to allow drilling, but only outside a 50-mile limit. They passed that regulation in a bill, which also would have stripped oil companies of tax breaks and used the money to research renewable energy. That led us to more Republican criticism, and yet another iteration of a valuable lesson: The Republicans will not be satisfied until the oil barons get Exactly. What. It. Wants.

Hence, Stage 3 of the Infinitely Repeating Democratic Shame Sprial: Capitulation. Democrats waved the white flag and said oil companies can drill pretty much anywhere. Look out, Little Sally! They want to put a derrick over your sand castle!

Here’s what victory for the GOP sounds like: “If true, this capitulation by Democrats following months of Republican pressure is a big victory for Americans struggling with record gas prices,” said John Boehner, the GOP’s minority leader in the House.

Did you notice he actually used our word, capitulation? A nice touch, Mr. Minority Leader.

And here’s what shamed, abject defeat sounds like: “The White House has made it clear they will not accept anything with a drilling moratorium, and Democrats know we cannot afford to shut down the government over this. We look forward to working with the next president to hammer out a final resolution of this issue,” said Jim Manley, spokesman for Capitulator-in-Chief, U.S. Sen. Harry Reid.

Recall, Democrats are in the majority. And why do Democrats know they cannot afford to let President George W. Bush veto a bill and shut down the government, simply because Democrats found a pair for once and said “no” to letting Bush let Big Oil run the country? That sounds like quite a delightful message to send to the masses, just a few weeks before Election Day. But that’s just us. We’re not super-smart strategists or anything.

And it’s not like offshore drilling is the only issue on which this has happened. Remember warantless wiretapping? Shame spiral. Remember de-funding the war? Shame spiral. And setting a date certain by which to withdraw from Iraq? Shame. Spiral.

Now, prepare for the worst news yet. See, we read in the paper that there are an estimated 18 billion barrels of oil underneath the Outer Continental Shelf. And America uses about 20 million barrels per day. So if we started drilling today, in about seven to 10 years, we’ll have enough oil to last…

…2.46 years.

That’s right: The Democrats just caved in so that we can extend our sorry dependence on petroleum products for two-and-a-half years.

Why? Because they hope to win the White House and more seats in Congress.

But here’s our question: If they won’t/can’t stand up for doing the right thing now, why should we trust they’ll stand up for doing the right thing if they have an even bigger majority? Or, put another way, what’s the use of having an opposition party if it never opposes anything?