Wiseguys tighten grip on Congress
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To borrow from the musical &quot;Chicago,&quot; Congress is just a noisy hall where there&#39;s a nightly brawl. These guys in dark suits stuck nine spending bills in the deep freeze until seven weeks after bills starting coming due.
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For two of Congress' old bulls, the lame duck session that begins next week will be the last roundup.
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It has not been a pretty sight on Capitol Hill in the waning hours of Republican control. Once-powerful lawmakers have been shown the door at their own offices, forced to crowd in a basement or other nooks to finish their work, if not their careers. The usual backslapping has given way to back pats as colleagues try to comfort losers who will soon be going home.
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Though polls show many Americans are  unhappy with the direction of the nation, they seem likely in  the Nov. 2 elections to keep Republicans in control of the U.S.  Congress.
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The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is trying to fend off the DemocratsÃ¢ÂÂ determined campaign to score a net gain of at least 15 House seats in the Nov. 7 elections Ã¢ÂÂ which they need to take control of the House. And Republican leaders have been pressing their politically Ã¢ÂÂsafeÃ¢ÂÂ members who have surplus campaign funds to ante up ever more money for the GOPÃ¢ÂÂs effort to extinguish the Democratic threat.
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Some experts say American policymakers are confusing tactical adjustments with a strategy.
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President Bush and Republicans have gained some ground in their bid to hold onto Congress as a sustained GOP effort to portray Democrats and Iraq war critics as appeasing terrorists has swayed voters.
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Democrats wrested control of the Oregon Senate for the first time in a decade Tuesday, and they maintained a slim chance of grabbing the majority in the House as well, giving them the potential for vast new leverage in the upcoming legislative session.
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Many lawmakers are uneasy about creating a powerful intelligence director.
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Though polls show many Americans are unhappy with the direction of the nation, they seem likely in the Nov. 2 elections to keep Republicans in control of the U.S. Congress.
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Viewpoint: Their post-midterm maturity has given way to presidential posturing
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WASHINGTON - Even as congressional leaders draf
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By taking that many hotly contested seats, they have a shot at capturing the upper chamber. Here&#39;s how it could work out. Not so long ago, the Democrats&#39; chances of wresting the Senate away from the Republicans looked not impossible but remote.
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Maine Sen. Susan Collins managed to keep busy last week, a down period for most members of Congress awaiting Tuesday&#39;s start of the lame-duck legislative session.
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Tinkering with a tradition that goes back to Thomas Jefferson, House members in the new Congress will be able to refer to senators by name on the floor &#151; as long as they don't get too personal.
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The smartest guys in the room were outsmarted more than once.
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The climactic 1994 midterm elections offer some new old strategies for the Congressional battle this fall.