WHY WASHINGTON SUCKS AT VENTURE CAPITAL: Before Solyndra, a long history of failed government energy projects. “Some economists, executives and financiers — as well as Energy Secretary Steven Chu — argue that the government must play a role because certain technologies have non-financial benefits, such as producing fewer greenhouse gas emissions or easing U.S. reliance on foreign oil. The semiconductor industry is often held up as a model of how government money can help build a new type of economy. But others argue that the history of government attempts to reach for the holy grail of new energy technology — a history that features both political parties — is not inspiring.”

This story is worth reading, but when you read between the lines it also seems like an effort to spread the blame around and do political damage control on Solyndra. But Solyndra isn’t just a case of bad judgment. The thing to remember is that the Solyndra deal was known to be a bad one for the government at the time, was gone ahead with anyway at the behest of the White House, and funneled hundreds of millions of dollars into the pocket of a major Obama donor.