Hawai'i Sens. Daniel K. Inouye and Daniel K. Akaka deserve kudos for standing tough on a proposal that would have paved the way for a constitutional amendment banning desecration of the American flag.

A Senate bill that would have sent the proposal to the states for possible ratification failed by one vote short of the two-thirds needed. The proposal passed the House last year with Reps. Ed Case and Neil Abercrombie both voting against it as well.

(Abercrombie did support an alternate plan that would have granted protections for the flag consistent with the First Amendment.)

The importance of the Inouye-Akaka vote lies in the closeness of the vote. The tally was 66-34, just one vote short of what was needed.

Inouye captured the essence of the matter well in floor remarks:

"Our country's unique because our dissidents have a voice," Inouye said.

"While I take offense at disrespect to the flag, I nonetheless believe it is my continued duty as a veteran, as an American citizen and as a United States senator to defend the constitutional right of protesters to use the flag in nonviolent speech."

Flag-burning and desecration is, of course, an offense to any right-thinking citizen. But that's true of much protected speech.

Congress has far more important things to do than to continue wasting time on these symbolic and ultimately pointless exercises.