America’s war dead will continue to return home in the shadows, hidden from the public and the press.

The Senate voted, 54-39, Monday to support the Bush administration and keep the prohibition on media coverage of flag-draped caskets arriving at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

Maine’s senators split on the issue. Sen. Olympia Snowe voted to allow coverage, while Sen. Susan Collins voted to keep the last homecoming of many American warriors shrouded.

On this issue, Snowe is correct. Collins is wrong.

The vote defeated an amendment to the authorization of $422 billion for the Department of Defense and another $25 billion for the reconstruction of Iraq. If it had passed, the amendment would have required the Pentagon to develop rules for media coverage of the returning caskets within 60 days.

The policy of banning coverage at Dover was adopted in 1991 by the first Bush administration before the Gulf War, but it was often ignored. Returning caskets were photographed during operations in Kosovo and Afghanistan. Firm instructions to prohibit the coverage were issued by the current administration right before the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.

As of Monday, the toll of American military dead in Iraq was nearing 850. The monetary costs of U.S. operations in Iraq are there for the public to see. But the human toll will continue to be obscured.

While the administration and those members of Congress who voted to keep the ban say they are protecting the privacy of soldiers and their families, the real reason for the ban is clear: to mask the true cost of America’s occupation of Iraq.

Public exit

Speaker of the House Patrick Colwell announced Monday that he will not seek election to the state Senate in November. It’s a loss for the state and, perhaps, an even bigger loss for Democrats.

Colwell, who is term-limited in the House, has had a distinguished career in public office. He was considered a front-runner to win a seat in the Senate, which Democrats control by only a single vote, 18-17.

Colwell cited the heavy toll of life in the spotlight for his decision. According to the Associated Press, Colwell and his wife have decided to divorce, after 33 years of marriage.

“I need to change the focus of my personal life, and I have decided I cannot do that as a public figure,” Colwell said.

In just a year and a half as speaker, Colwell proved to be a good leader during difficult times. After time away from the political grind, we would not be surprised to see a comeback.

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