Sad and disappointing but not a surprise. [mc_name name=’Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)’ chamber=’senate’ mcid=’M000355′ ] has showed himself to be the gutless wimp that we’ve all known he is. He has given the Democrats exactly what they have been demanding. In other words, [mc_name name=’Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)’ chamber=’senate’ mcid=’M000355′ ], as majority leader, has shown the same feckless, flaccidity that he showed while minority leader. What he’s done is pass the buck back to the House:

Updated 3:43 p.m. | In an extraordinary sequence, [mc_name name=’Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)’ chamber=’senate’ mcid=’M000355′ ] offered Democrats Tuesday exactly what they have been asking for — “clean” full-year funding for the Department of Homeland Security. And [mc_name name=’Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV)’ chamber=’senate’ mcid=’R000146′ ] said no — or at least, not yet.

Majority Leader McConnell’s offer of passing a clean full-year Homeland Security bill through the Senate shorn of immigration provisions — which he said could happen very quickly with Democratic cooperation — was put on hold by Minority Leader Reid, who told reporters he was waiting to hear Speaker John A. Boehner agree to pass it through the House first.

“We have to make sure that we get a bill to the president,” Reid said. “Unless Boehner’s in on the deal, it won’t happen.”

That could lead to the extraordinary circumstance of Democrats blocking a bill they have insisted on for weeks.

Michael Steel, a spokesman for Boehner, didn’t say whether the Ohio Republican would go along with a clean bill.

“The Speaker has been clear: the House has acted, and now Senate Democrats need to stop hiding. Will they continue to block funding for the Department of Homeland Security or not?

This is a shame. The issue is not only important but it is an easy win. It is the Democrats and the White House that need DHS funded. The GOP doesn’t. Something like 83% of that agency will remain on the job as they are “essential” employees. Not that it matters. Enforcing immigration and naturalization policy isn’t what the are about. They are more busy writing reports on the scourge of “sovereign citizen extremists” than actually doing something useful.

Now the action moves back to the House. Speaker Boehner should stick to his guns and takes as his motto General Grant’s statement during the Overland Campaign: “I propose to fight it out on this line, if it takes all summer.”