EDITORIAL MORE THAN MONEY FAILED IMMIGRATION FIGHT SHOWS NEED FOR ENGAGED PUBLIC.

IN this summer's ill-fated battle for comprehensive immigration reform, something unusual happened: The special interests lost.

United in this fight were the odd couple of big business (which depends on immigrant labor) and big unions (which see immigrant labor as their future power base). Two of Washington's most powerful, often competing, forces had made peace. Special interests, mostly corporate, spent some $2.5 million on lobbying in the first six months of the year alone.

And yet the effort failed.

For once, big money didn't win the day, which is refreshing in its own right. But that doesn't mean the people won, either.

Reform failed because of intense opposition from immigration restrictionists, with an assist from pro-immigration radicals who denounced the plan as not generous enough. The two were able to scare away politicians fearful of alienating their bases.

It was a triumph for the activists, and a testament to the power of organizing. But what about for the rest of us?

Throughout the debate, polls showed a large majority of Americans as supporting reform. But the vast middle on this issue is much less passionate than the fanatics on either side. So it went unheeded.

Which is a shame, because as the success of reform's opponents showed, a roused, organized populace can get the politicians' attention -- even more so than the lure of campaign cash. The trouble is, a loud minority will defeat a silent majority every time.

The nation's busted immigration system poses one of its biggest domestic challenges, affecting every aspect of social and economic policy. It's an issue the vast middle should be passionate about -- if for no other reason than to prevent the debate from being taken over, yet again, by the extremists.