Sometimes good prevails in Washington — against all odds.

Yesterday, the Senate effort to pass the controversial ANWR proposal — that would allow for the drilling for oil in Alaskan wilderness lands — surprisingly failed.

Sadly, Hawai'i's senators, Dan Akaka and Daniel K. Inouye, crossed party lines in an effort to stop debate and force a vote on a defense appropriation bill that included approval for the drilling.

But the effort to ram through the oil drilling in an unrelated bill connected to war spending didn't work — this time.

Now maybe the issue will be separated so a real debate on ANWR can take place, giving our senators a chance to do what's right.

Akaka and Inouye voted yesterday to appease their old political ally, Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, who wants the drilling to begin. Inouye has long been a supporter of projects that support domestic oil security; Akaka said he was acting out of sensitivity to the opinions of indigenous Alaskans.

Fair enough. But another view to consider is Hawai'i's well-established respect for nature and the environment.

Next time around, Akaka and Inouye should join their fellow Democrats and vote to stop any oil drilling at ANWR.