Mainers -- even staunch Democrats -- probably should celebrate the re-election of Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss. Not because Chambliss is a wonderful legislator or has ideas that will solve the nation's problems. Neither is true. I think Chambliss, now starting his second term, is a mediocre senator, at best.

But Chambliss' re-election in a runoff in Georgia kept Democrats from gaining a filibuster-proof 60 seats in the Senate and, in the process, made Maine's senators, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, two of the most powerful people in Washington.

The two Mainers -- with moderate to liberal leanings -- will hold the balance of power as the White House and Senate Democrats draft legislation dealing with the war in Iraq, health care and the struggling economy.

With fewer than the 60 seats needed to overcome filibusters from the furthest right-leaning Republicans, President-elect Barack Obama and Democratic leaders will turn to the few Republican moderates left in the Senate to form coalitions to pass legislation. That brings enormous power to Snowe and Collins, whose centrist views will have a significant impact.

Maine's senators are part of a steadily shrinking group of moderate Republicans who have managed to survive against both Democratic opponents and lukewarm (at best) Republican support. The GOP moderates, once called Rockefeller Republicans (named after the former New York governor and vice president Nelson Rockefeller) once included men like John Chafee of Rhode Island, and later his son, Lincoln Chafee and Lowell Weicker of Connecticut. Today, in addition to the Mainers, the moderates include Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and, to a lesser degree, John McCain of Arizona. That's a small number in the 100-member Senate.

Both Snowe and Collins are aware of the power they hold. Collins emphasized her non-partisan approach to governance in her re-election campaign. Her ability to work with Democrats for the good of the nation was more than a campaign slogan; observers with no ties to either party recognize her as a woman open to reason and compromise.

The same is true for Snowe. In December, New York Times columnist Gail Collins wrote that Snowe "is widely regarded as one of Congress's quality acts. In fact, some people might have wondered why John McCain, if he was so desperate for a woman on his ticket, ignored a well-traveled, independent-minded legislator who does her homework in favor of an out-to-lunch moose murderer who cannot seem to put together a coherent sentence."

The column continued: "Snowe seems very conscious of how key her role could be over the next few years, since she talks of building bridges with the enthusiasm of an Alaskan power-monger. In recent years, she said, she's been 'embarrassed for our institution. I couldn't possibly explain to my constituents what was going on here, the all-or-nothing drawing of lines in the sand.'"

The influence of Collins and Snowe on legislation will be felt throughout the process. People drafting bills will consult them in advance; those revising legislation will solicit their views. Powerful chairmen, White House staff, Cabinet members and the president will court the senators from Maine.

Will the state gain from this? Certainly -- although we may never know the details. But rest assured, when Snowe and Collins seek something, they will have a receptive audience among the most powerful people in Washington. No one seeks to anger those whose help they may need.

More importantly, the nation will gain, because legislation that is crafted to deal with the views of the center usually is better policy than legislation that appeals to the far right or the far left.

Collins and Snowe also have the power to keep the Senate moving, avoiding the crippling partisanship that all but halted government in recent years. Too often nominations, especially those involving judges, have been held hostage by partisans unwilling to find common ground. Snowe and Collins have been involved in bringing about compromise in the past. They will be even more able to do so in the next two years.

Maine has a long tradition of sending men and women to the Senate who look past partisanship to serve the nation. That certainly was true of Republican Margaret Chase Smith, who broke with her party to oppose Sen. Joseph McCarthy; of Democrat Edmund Muskie, who was an excellent Senate leader who worked across the aisle to craft legislation; and of Republican William Cohen, who served ably as secretary of defense for a Democratic president.

Collins and Snowe fit that mold. It will be interesting to watch them on the national stage for the next several years.

David B. Offer is the retired executive editor of the Kennebec Journal and the Morning Sentinel. E-mail davidboffer@hotmail.com.