That the city was in a weak legal position has long been evident to almost everyone outside Walsh's inner circle. Sure, traffic in Charlestown's Sullivan Square is already lousy. But that wasn't enough to support the city's conspiracy-theory arguments that Wynn's casino permit was illegally granted. The inflammatory rhetoric in the complaint couldn't disguise its hollow legal reasoning.

But since earlier this month, when the city's suit to block Wynn's $1.7 billion casino was tossed by a Suffolk Superior Court judge, Walsh has seemed increasingly eager to find a way out of the morass he created for himself. He has even talked with Wynn face to face about "common goals," calling recent meetings between the feuding sides "productive."

Is the utterly incomprehensible legal battle between Marty Walsh and Steve Wynn finally headed for some kind of sensible conclusion? Such an outcome, while welcome, would certainly defy the odds, given the history between the parties.

In the days after the court's rejection of the suit, Walsh continued to talk tough, implying that the city might appeal. Thank goodness, he appears to be coming to his senses. The lawsuit has cost taxpayers well over $1 million. The city won't say how much it has paid to outside counsel Thomas C. Frongillo. Appealing would be fiscally irresponsible.


Walsh's defenders will argue that the legal action was really about forcing as much as possible in concessions. There may be some truth to that. But it's hard to see how this suit has strengthened the city's hand in any way. Looking foolish is no way to gain leverage.

Equally worrisome are the questions the lawsuit raises about the advice Walsh is getting. Clearly, people he places great trust in thought a frivolous lawsuit was an inspired strategy. The mayor needs better advice, fast.

The court decision isn't the only reason pressure is mounting on Walsh. The business community wants the battle to end. Walsh's friends in organized labor are eager to build the casino, a project that will employ hundreds. Walsh keeps saying he's fighting for the people of Boston, but the people who want him to wage this fight are shrinking in number. It's becoming an unwinnable war with no convincing rationale.


The big sticking point — now that it's pretty clear the casino is going to get built — is how to fix the traffic in the area. That won't be easy, but it's not insurmountable either. It's largely a question of engineering and money.

Help may come, unexpectedly, from an unlikely source: Washington. Congress passed a bill earlier this month that will send $1 billion a year in transportation funds to Massachusetts for the next five years. Passed partly through the efforts of Congressman Michael Capuano , the bill will deliver about $600 million a year to the state for improving surface roadways just like Sullivan Square.

Simply put, it's time for the mayor to stop posturing and make the best deal he can get.

Walsh got lucky on the Olympics, a battle in which he claimed victory for the people of Boston at the last minute, conveniently ignoring his longstanding support for the failed bid. This debacle will not be so easily spun.

And once the future of Sullivan Square is sorted out, Walsh could do worse than to think about how he got here, mired in a fight he was never going to win. Halfway through his first term, he remains an extremely popular mayor. But thumping defeats won't help him stay that way. He keeps saying he's standing up for Charlestown, but the reality is that he's never looked weaker.


Adrian Walker is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at walker@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @Adrian_Walker.