Time to say goodbye to Good Ship Akaka Bill?

It was meant as an honor years ago, but at this moment, U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka might be wishing the bill to enable federal recognition for native Hawaiians had not been named for him. The Akaka Bill’s chances for success in the lame-duck session are looking pretty, well, lame. His prepared statement:

"Senator Akaka continues to work on the bill but recognizes the challenges. When he returns to Washington he will again reach out to his Senate colleagues and stress the importance of the bill to Hawaii."

Translation: The ship has probably sailed, but we’ll stand on the dock and wave.

Are we lagging behind mainland or out in front?

Hawaii has always been a special place, but recent headlines might have you believing it exists in an alternate universe.

The day after a Republican electoral tsunami swept the country, the Star-Advertiser proclaimed "Democrats Dominate" as the GOP lost the governor’s and congressional District 1 seats.

A couple of days later, with economic gloom persisting on the mainland, "Visitor Spending Catches a Wave" was a front-page story noting how tourism’s resurgence could spark recovery in the islands.

As they say, only in Hawaii.