The election is over and we're back to the usual melodrama at Honolulu Hale with Mayor Mufi Hannemann directing animosity every which way in the City Council's fight over whether to reroute the O'ahu rail system to the airport instead of through Salt Lake.

Hannemann favors the airport route recommended by city consultants and was never thrilled with the political compromise that produced the Salt Lake alignment.

But the measure to change the route back to the airport was co-sponsored by Councilman Charles Djou, one of the mayor's harshest critics on the council and a possible political rival.

While not disagreeing with the intent of the resolution proposed by Djou and Council Chairman Todd Apo, the mayor accused Djou of political motivations and trying to embarrass him. Something about their mutual interest in running for Congress.

Hannemann also took a whack the other way at Councilman Romy Cachola, who forced the routing of the rail line through his Salt Lake district when he held the swing vote on a divided council.

Cachola complained the mayor would break a promise to Salt Lake residents if he approves changing the route to the airport, which Hannemann dismissed by criticizing Cachola for supporting his opponent, Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi, in the election.

Why does it seem that discussion of policy differences at city hall always devolves into personal attacks instead of focusing on the substance of the issue — in this case whether the airport or Salt Lake is the best route for the initial phase of the $4.5 billion rail line between Kapolei and Honolulu?

Why can't we take it at face value that Djou honestly thinks the airport is the better route and Cachola honestly thinks Salt Lake is the better route and judge it from there on the merits?

It's been Hannemann's pattern to attack alleged ulterior motives of those who differ with him.

The day after the election, when his hero, President-elect Obama, was extending olive branches to campaign opponents, the mayor was showing no such grace in victory. He was on a morning talk show continuing his attack on Kobayashi's motives for running against him.

Kobayashi, once a strong Hannemann supporter, says she ran because she was disappointed in his management of the city and thought she could do better.

But Hannemann accused her of running as a stalking horse for his potential rivals for governor in 2010 and to give Duke Bainum a free shot at her Manoa-Makiki council seat. Why would an experienced politician give up an uncontested council seat to offer herself up as a sacrificial lamb to the ambitions of others?

Former Gov. Ben Cayetano had been publicly of the opinion that rail is a bad solution for Ho-nolulu since before Hannemann was in politics, but Hannemann reacted to his opposition to the current plan by taking a slap at his wife Vicky and saying he comes from an anti-rail household.

The mayor accused Senate President Colleen Hanabusa of using scare tactics and protecting corporate interests when she tried to hold the city to a promise it made to her constituents to close the Waimanalo Gulch landfill.

Hannemann is a talented politician with the potential to go as far as he wants in his pursuit of higher office.

But he needs to recognize that everything isn't always about Mufi. If he doesn't lose the biggest political persecution complex this side of Frank Fasi, it could become the same Achilles' heel for him as it was for Fasi, who never made it past mayor.

David Shapiro, a veteran Hawai'i journalist, can be reached by e-mail at dave@volcanicash.net. His columns are archived at www.volcanic ash.net. Read his daily blog, Volcanic Ash, at volcanicash.honadvblogs.com.

David Shapiro, a veteran Hawai'i journalist, can be reached by e-mail at dave@volcanicash.net. His columns are archived at www.volcanicash.net. Read his daily blog at blogs.honoluluadvertiser.com.