Whether school consolidation will ever happen in Maine is anyone's guess these days.

Lawmakers at the Statehouse this week passed a bill that was meant to fix financial roadblocks in the original consolidation law passed in 2007. But along with those fixes, the bill contained an amendment inserted by anti-consolidation forces that would have undermined the streamlining of the state's multiple school systems by allowing districts to adopt a school union form of organization.

Gov. John Baldacci vetoed the legislation. That was expected, since it subverted his consolidation plan.

But then, despite a strong original vote to pass the bill, the Senate turned right around and sustained Baldacci's veto.

That left lawmakers and others scratching their heads.

"It's like a complete flip," said Skip Greenlaw, who has worked for months to repeal school consolidation. Greenlaw told the Bangor Daily News, "I thought I understood the legislative process. But I just don't understand this."

That's because what's happening around the Statehouse isn't simply legislative process. In an election year, on a hot and controversial issue like school consolidation, with a lame duck governor and several legislative leadership positions opening up because of term limits -- well, under those circumstances, politics rule. Which means that there's no predicting what will happen to the governor's fix to his consolidation plan.

After his veto, Baldacci submitted a second bill to remedy the financial defects in last year's consolidation legislation. The fix is largely designed to remove impediments to school units fairly sharing the costs in newly consolidated districts.

But there's nothing to stop consolidation foes from inserting the same contrary amendment yet again -- which they have said they will do.

Which is unfortunate.

School consolidation was legitimately approved by a vote of this Legislature during the first half of this two-year session. Since then, problems have emerged with the bill's drafting that have stymied the process of merging school districts. That's why the governor had to submit a bill to fix those problems.

But in the meantime, political opposition to consolidation has also grown. Opponents attempted to collect enough signatures to force a referendum on repealing consolidation; they failed. So making mischief with Baldacci's legislative fix is how consolidation opponents have chosen to press their case instead.

It's an obstructionist and below-the-belt way of fighting.

There are, and always have been, legitimate questions that can be raised about how Baldacci has gone about effecting savings in school administration. Opponents of his approach should use legitimate avenues to express their concern and opposition. Inserting a poison pill amendment into a bill designed to fix consolidation's problems -- and allow school districts to move forward with their plans -- is not one of them.