Even as the Bush administration secured the sanction of lawmakers to go to war, it suffered a shock defeat in the US Senate on its long-pending proposal to drill for oil in Alaska. The defeat is a grim reminder of the limits of unilateralism, even if only within mainland America. Millions of barrels of oil reportedly lie beneath the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Region, which the US administration wants included in its energy plan, crucial to its strategy to reduce dependence on oil imports. Wednesday's vote negates the simplistic view that Mr Bush's energy policy is a battle largely between him and the rest of the world. (Editorial)