No criticism of the reporters on the scene. But there is still some mystery of the so-called “Akaka Bill,” or Hawaiian recognition bill, as it moves through the U.S. Congress.

As it morphed through Congress, the bill became something that recognized Hawaiians as a political entity – a “tribe” if you will – rather than an entity that would negotiate its future status with the state and federal governments.

That’s a big difference.

There’s no question many of the supporters  of the Akaka bill wish to see Hawaiians with full nation-to-nation political status. But politically, that is a tough sell. So the original strategy was to create legislation that would give Hawaiians a right to negotiate a new political relationship with the state and federal government.

Then someone jumped the gun. The issue now is  whether now that the hand has been shown, will the entire process go down in flames?