There are many moderate Democrats in the Senate that are looking to have it both ways on the Employee Forced Choice Act. They know the polling shows that voter support for EFCA is in the crapper (no matter how hard the unions try to create push polls to prove otherwise), but they also don’t want to make their sugar daddy–big labor–mad.

Their solution? Say that they’re in favor of reform, but have some reservations about EFCA. They also say that out of fairness the Senate should be allowed to debate and vote on the bill. (See the attached constituent letter from moderate Virginia Senator Mark Warner after the jump.) They imply that when given the chance they would vote against the actual bill.

Here’s the problem. Because of the current makeup in the Senate, a vote against a filibuster (or for cloture) is the same as a vote for passing the bill. They can’t have their cake and eat it too. Or, as John Kerry once famously tried to explain, you can’t vote for it, before you vote against it.

That’s why Steven Law at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce proposes an acid test for Warner and other mealy-mouthed Senators (I’m looking at you Sen. Ben Nelson).

I propose asking Warner, Nelson, and others this very simple question: Can you describe your vote for or against cloture on EFCA in less than two words?