By Jane Roh, NationalJournal.com
© National Journal Group Inc.
Friday, Dec. 21, 2007

Forget champagne and noisemakers. For many, the approach of the new year is filled with dread that yet even more expectations will whither and die, unmet.

The 110th Congress is a case in point. Democrats rode into the majority this year on the expectation that they would steer Washington back on the right course. Voter anger put them in charge, and the onus was on the Democratic leadership to prove retroactively that they deserved congressional control.

But public approval of Congress is in the pits, and although more of the blame is placed on Republicans, Democrats haven't come out smelling like roses. Are they the victims of their own lofty expectations? Or are these just the breaks when no one does anything to amend the procedural rule requiring 60 votes to bring legislation to the Senate floor?

To wit: In 2004, then-GOP Majority Leader Bill Frist demanded a rule change in order to end the "tyranny" of the Democratic minority that was gumming up the Senate. On Dec. 2 of this year, the New York Times reported that the 60-vote rule had been invoked 72 times this year alone.

"You may call it the Democratic majority, as I once did, but they're being held hostage by the Republican minority," Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., complained.

The more things change...

High Hopes Pt. I "The election of 2006 was a call to change -- not merely to change the control of Congress, but for a new direction for our country," Nancy Pelosi said after she formally took the reins as the first Madam Speaker in January. Minority Leader John Boehner agreed: "This is a big day."

High Hopes Pt. II The contest for majority status in the Senate was a nail-biter, with the Democrats just barely winding up on top. The carefully selected freshmen also heralded a new kind of cross-appeal Democrat who might guarantee an even bigger majority next time around.

The War At Home Iraq topped the Democrats' agenda this year, but those pesky filibuster rules plus the president's veto pen squashed legislation aimed at wresting away control of the four-year-long war. The clarion call of bringing the troops home won Democrats votes, but Congress failed to deliver on those promises this year.

So That's What That's For After barely lifting his veto pen when the Republicans controlled Congress, President Bush perked up this year and killed legislation having to do with the Iraq war, embryonic stem cell research and higher taxes.

New Sheriffs In Town Democratic watchdogs walked into Congress this year with teeth after years of helplessly watching GOP power operate virtually unchecked. The flurry of subpoenas prompted Bush to complain that the House "has wasted valuable time on a constant stream of investigations" instead of sending him bills.

Gone-zo The investigations into the politically motivated firings of U.S. attorneys resulted in the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales -- and the Democratic victory of the year. Now for the hard part: leveraging scrutiny of the Justice Department into transparency on the Bush administration's wiretapping program and detainee interrogation methods.

Flirting With Constitutional Crisis That the Bush administration prefers to do its business under deep cover is no secret. This year, both Judiciary Committees decided to do something about that. Operating under the ill-defined constitutional theory of executive privilege, the White House dismissed again and again the duty and reach of congressional oversight, forcing the committees to hold administration officials in contempt. This can end one of two ways: in surrender or in court.

See You In September. Er, March. The testimony of Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker on Iraq was the most highly anticipated congressional event of the year. It was also the biggest letdown. After two days of long and intense interrogation, Congress was left in a holding pattern on the war.

At Peace With The War The war in Iraq no longer tops the list of many voters' concerns, indicating it may have become part of the background noise -- a source of constant anxiety, to be sure, but only the fringe has been shouting. Bush and GOP lawmakers get the blame in the end, but Democrats will have to flesh out their agenda some more in order to secure their dominance.

The Bordello & The Bathroom If Americans lost their taste for political sex scandals after the Clinton saga, it appears to be back in full force. The David Vitter and Larry Craig affairs launched a thousand late-night jokes, but they also raised questions about the GOP's discomfort with its gay members.

And The Hits Just Keep On Coming In John Warner and Chuck Hagel, Senate Republicans will lose two well-respected lions on military and defense issues. The pending retirements of Pete Domenici and Wayne Allard will add even more headaches to the NRSC's already formidable woes. These Senate retirements indicate that many Republicans are convinced that they will be out in the wilderness for some time.

So Tired Of Fighting Trent Lott and Dennis Hastert bear some of the most well-worn partisan daggers in Washington. This year they announced they'd be exiting early. Both of a certain age and now in the minority, Lott and Hastert saw little point to finishing out their terms. These longtime GOP leaders won't easily be replaced.

In Memoriam Rep. Paul Gillmor, R-Ohio, Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., and Rep. Julia Carson, D-Ind. (pictured here), passed away while in office this year. Congress also mourned Reps. Jo Ann Davis, R-Va., Juanita Millender-McDonald, D-Calif., and Charlie Norwood, R-Ga.