Asking for an extension to implement Real ID, despite being the first state to reject it, shouldn’t be construed as Maine’s surrender. Given its strong opposition, the state’s unwillingness to accept the mandate is clear.

Rather, asking for an extension recognizes the March 31 deadline set by the Department of Homeland Security to request one has Maine at a disadvantage, and the savvy tactical response – for now – is compliance.

There are many more battles to come on Real ID, in which Maine and its Congressional delegation can exert considerable influence on the flawed policy.

On the federal level, Real ID proponents have sold the national identification card as a miracle drug for whatever policy problem that ails you. Illegal immigration? Real ID seals the borders. Identity theft? Real ID keeps you safe. Terrorism? Real ID is the plastic Jack Bauer.

How much would a state pay for this wonder product? For Maine, the price is a steep $180 million, which has made lawmakers duly skeptical and resistant. A federal mandate marketed as a panacea without a single federal dollar to support it is a dangerous pair.

It’s like one of those television infomercials featuring a bronzed pitchman claiming to have the key of ready wealth – for a few monthly payments. It belies logic that these geniuses would sell their secret, if it is so easy, effective and profitable.

So, if Real ID was such a great idea, the federal government should and would make it happen, without foisting this expensive, unwieldy mandate upon the states.

Yet DHS and Real ID have the high ground, for now. Only Maine, New Hampshire, Montana and South Carolina are holding out on compliance, which is allowing the agency to exert considerable political pressure on the states.

This could change, however, as Real ID comes under renewed Congressional scrutiny through the budget process. Already, some high-ranking GOP lawmakers want to stymie Real ID for its financial impact on states.

Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., told the The Hill of Washington D.C. last week, “If the federal government wants states to do this, the federal government should pay for it.”

The flaws in Real ID will be its undoing. No policy can be billed as the solution to multiple complex problems without drawing skepticism. This only compounds when the federal government won’t put funding where its policy is.

And these problems with Real ID will exist whether or not Maine files for an extension from the March 31 deadline. What will occur, according to veiled statements from DHS, is Mainers possessing only driver’s licenses for identification will be unable to travel.

This could needlessly affect thousands of people, just for being caught in this test of wills between Maine and DHS, one which certainly won’t end on March 31.

It’s smarter to avoid this pending confrontation and request an extension to allow its people to travel, without inconvenience.