EJ Dionne says the biggest thing wrong with the Democrats is that they haven't been good at blaming Republicans for causing legislative gridlock. What's the alternative to internecine Democratic finger-pointing of the sort that made the front page of yesterday's Post? The party's congressional leaders need to do whatever they have to do to put this year behind them. Then they need to stop whining. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid should put aside any ill feelings and use the Christmas break to come up with a joint program for 2008. They could start with the best ideas from their presidential candidates in areas such as health care, education, cures for the ailing economy and poverty reduction. Agree to bring the same bills to a vote in both houses. Try one more time to change the direction of Iraq policy. If Bush and the Republicans block their efforts, bring all these issues into the campaign. Let the voters break the gridlock. If Democrats don't make the 2008 election about the Do-Nothing Republicans, the GOP has its own ideas about whom to hold responsible for Washington's paralysis. And if House and Senate Democrats waste their time attacking each other, they will deserve any blame they get next fall. Sounds about right. A basic flaw in the 2007 agenda has been the emphasis on legislation that seems middle-of-the-road enough to pass. But Democrats will achieve few substantive policy changes as long as the hard right retains and recklessly uses the power to obstruct. It's probably time to lay down some serious markers and go to the mat for them, just in case.