Obama shouldn't punt on Keystone pipeline

When President Barack Obama nixed construction of an oil pipeline from Canada to Texas Wednesday, he said the decision wasn't based on the project's merits and isn't his final word.

We hope that's the case. Because, on the merits, he should approve the Keystone Pipeline. It's in the nation's interest to maximize the oil-producing capacity of our stable, friendly neighbor.

Obama said he denied the application because the Feb. 21 decision deadline that congressional Republicans insisted on was too rushed. Indeed, the date didn't allow enough time for TransCanada Corp. and Nebraska officials to come up with a revised route that would protect the Ogallala aquifer, a source of water for eight states.

Before the deadline was imposed, however, Obama tried to put off a decision until after the election -- since greenlighting the project would anger environmentalists, but killing it would rile labor unions. The GOP's deadline ensured he couldn't avoid the squeeze between Democratic interest groups.

Both sides should stop playing partisan politics with this issue.

Obama should direct the State Department to expedite the revised application, which should be ready this fall. There's no reason to treat it as entirely new, since much of it has already been subjected to a three-year review. And when it's ripe for a decision, Obama should make it -- even if that moment arrives in the heat of his re-election campaign.