GOP deals Dems some bitter pills共和黨處理機電工程署署長一些痛苦的藥丸
By Deirdre Shesgreen由deirdre shesgreen
The first session of the 110th Congress started off with a snap and had plenty of crackle.第一屆會議的110人大起步與管理單元，並有足夠的裂紋。 But the end was more fizzle than pop.但最終更多的fizzle較流行。
“We had 50 weeks of basically polarization and brinksmanship and two weeks of problem-solving,” said Rep. Todd Akin, R-Town and Country. “我們50個星期，基本上多極化和邊緣和兩個星期的解決問題，說： ”眾議員托德類似，的R -城市和國家。
Democrats were catapulted into power after the 2006 elections on big promises: They would clean up Washington, change course in Iraq and devote new attention to domestic needs.民主黨人catapulted執政後， 2006年的選舉對大承諾：他們將清理華盛頓，變更，當然在伊拉克和投入新的關注國內的需要。
But as lawmakers rushed home for the holidays last week, Republicans were declaring victory for confounding their political foes at almost every turn, with one GOP lawmaker deriding this as the “cave-in Congress.”但作為立法者送往回家的假期上週，共和黨宣布勝利，混淆他們的政治宿敵，在幾乎每一個轉，與一個共和黨國會議員嘲諷，以此作為“窯洞在國會” 。
Even as Democrats trumpeted some meaty achievements — from ethics reform to a minimum-wage increase to a landmark energy bill — their liberal base was fuming over some of the concessions Democrats made.即使民主派吹噓的一些肉的成就-從倫理學的改革到一個最低工資增加的一個里程碑的能源法案-他們的自由基地復明超過部分的讓步，民主派提出的。
After bruising battles with the White House and congressional Republicans, Democrats swallowed three bitter pills in the final days of the year:後瘀傷的戰鬥與白宮和國會共和黨人，民主黨人吞下三苦丸在最後幾天的一年：
— They handed President George W. Bush $70 billion in funding for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars with no strings attached. -他們轉交布什總統的7 00億美元的資金用於伊拉克和阿富汗戰爭，不帶任何條件的重視。
— They passed a flat extension of a children’s health insurance program — something the GOP had been calling for, for months — after conceding that their efforts to expand the popular program could not overcome Bush’s vetoes. -他們通過一個單位延長了兒童的健康保險計劃-一些共和黨一直要求，數個月-讓步後，他們努力擴大流行的程序無法克服布什的否決。
— They approved an 11th-hour, $50 billion tax fix that will shield the middle class from a major tax increase, but without raising additional revenue — violating their self-imposed vow to offset any new spending or tax breaks so as not to worsen the deficit. -他們批准了一項1 1小時， 5 00億美元的稅修正，將盾牌中產階層從一大加稅，但沒有提高的額外收入- ，侵犯了他們的自我強加的誓言，以抵消任何新的開支或稅務休息，不使惡化赤字。
“Our members probably went home yesterday happier than … in the 11 years I’ve been here,” said House GOP Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo. “我們的成員可能回家了昨日的幸福比… …在11年我一直在這裡，說： ”眾議院共和黨黨鞭羅伊鈍，的R -莫。
Congress’ final weeks were so chaotic that many lawmakers booked multiple flights home because they had no idea when last votes would be cast on a $555 billion omnibus budget loaded with more than 8,000 of lawmakers’ pet projects.國會的最後幾個星期，所以混沌，很多國會議員預訂多個航班回家，因為他們不知道，當最後的選票會投上一五千五百五萬點零零零萬美元綜合財政預算案載有8000以上的國會議員寵物項目。
Where Akin saw polarization and brinksmanship, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., saw idealism and pragmatism, and she said the Senate had “a healthy dose of both this year,” making for bitter fights as well as solid, albeit last-minute, agreements.如看到類似的極化和邊緣，參議員克萊爾麥卡斯基爾，為D -莫，看到理想主義和實用主義，和她說，參議院“一個健康的劑量都在今年， ”苦，打架以及堅實的，儘管最後分鐘，協定。
“At the end of the day it’s not bad what we got done in spite of ourselves,” she said. “在這一天結束，它的不差什麼，我們得到這樣做，儘管自己， ”她說。 But the process “sure isn’t pretty.”但這一進程“肯定的是，不漂亮” 。
Steven Smith, a political science professor at Washington University, said that with Democrats barely in control of the Senate and a Republican in the White House, “there was essentially a stalemate” on all major legislative initiatives.史蒂芬史密斯，政治學教授在華盛頓大學說，隨著民主派幾乎在參議院的控制權和共和黨在白宮， “基本上是一個僵局”在所有重大的立法舉措。 “This was a situation where both parties had the ability to veto the highest priorities of the other.” “這是一個情況下，雙方有能力否決權的最高優先事項的其他” 。
He said the 49-member Republican minority in the Senate used threats of a filibuster to protect Bush from embarrassing vetoes on Iraq and other matters.他說， 49名成員的少數族裔，共和黨在參議院中使用的威脅阻撓，以保障布什的尷尬否決對伊拉克和其他事項。 In the process, he said, they were able to make the Democrats look bad “for not governing an institution they seemed to control.”在這個過程中，他說，不僅他們能夠繼續進行民主派看壞“不執政的一個機構，他們似乎控制” 。
EARLY VICTORIES 早期的勝利
The messy ending to the first half of this Congress stands out all the more because of its sharp beginning.混亂結局上半年這次大會的各項主張，更是因為其鮮明的開端。
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the first woman to be speaker of the House, swept into office with a 100-hour legislative blitz.眾議員佩洛西和D -加州，第一女子被眾議院議長，衝入辦公室與100小時的突擊立法。 With the help of moderate Republicans, Democrats racked up a raft of early victories: cutting interest rates on student loans, enacting long-stalled recommendations of the Sept. 11 commission, and raising the minimum wage, among other things.借助溫和派共和黨人，民主黨人racked了一個筏早期的勝利：切削利率學生貸款，制定長期擱置的建議，該委員會9月11日，提高最低工資，除其他事項。
“Those are issues that the American people wanted to see us address, and we did,” said Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-St. “這些問題對美國人民希望看到我們的地址，和我們沒有，說： ”眾議員威廉威廉萊西斯粘土，為D -聖。 Louis.路易。 “And we became more fiscally responsible than previous Congresses and this administration.” “和我們成為更負責任的財政狀況比以前的人大和政府” 。
Indeed, some Republicans found themselves cheering the Democrats’ final spending package as one that was much better than any they ever produced.事實上，一些共和黨人發現自己的歡呼聲，民主派的最後開支的方案之一，這是遠優於任何他們有否產生。 Bush forced Democrats to stick to his bottom line, something he never did when the GOP was in control, rather than allow them to add $22 billion in new spending.布什被迫同盟堅持他的底線，他從來沒有當是在共和黨控制，而不是讓他們補充220億美元，在新的開支。
“We’re leaving with Bush’s numbers plus some emergency spending for things we can support,” such as veterans care, said Rep. John Shimkus, R-Collinsville. “我們正在離開與布什的人數加上一些緊急開支的事情，我們可以支持” ，如退伍軍人的照顧，說，眾議員約翰shimkus ，的R - collinsville 。 With that new financial restraint, he said, “we’re going back to our base in a Democratic majority.與新的金融克制，他說， “我們正在回到我們的基地在一個民主的多數。 … That’sa pretty good Christmas present.” … that'sa不錯的聖誕禮物“ 。
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said the budget deal was “really a heartbreak” because Democrats wanted desperately to boost spending for health care, education and other programs they felt have been ignored.參議員迪克德賓的D -病患者。表示，處理的財政預算案是“真的心碎” ，因為民主黨人要拼命增加消費保健，教育和其他節目，他們覺得已被忽略。 Democrats did shift money to fill some of their priorities but failed to force Bush to agree to a higher overall budget number.民主派沒有轉移金錢，以填補他們的一些優先事項，但未能迫使布什同意向更高的整體財政預算的數目。
WHITE HOUSE POWER 白宮的權力
Durbin said Democrats had no options in the budget showdown because they simply did not have the votes to override Bush’s threatened veto.德賓說，民主黨人已經沒有選擇，在財政預算案攤牌，因為他們根本沒有選票推翻布什的否決威脅。
“In the end there was only one card that could be played: the Newt Gingrich government shut-down card,” Durbin said, referring to the standoff between the former GOP House speaker and President Bill Clinton that led to government offices being shuttered and a political fallout for the GOP. “在年底有上只有一個卡，這種卡可以發揮：紐特金里奇政府停機卡， ”德賓說，所指的僵局之間的前共和黨眾議院議長和總統比爾克林頓，導致政府辦事處被關閉和政治塵為共和黨。 “We were never going to let that happen, and the president knew it,” Durbin said. “我們永遠不會讓這種情況發生，和總統知道， ”德賓說。
Democrats also saw the collapse of a sweeping and controversial immigration reform package.民主黨人也看到了崩潰的全面和具爭議性的移民改革方案。 They failed to override Bush’s veto of a bill to lift restrictions on government funding for stem cell research.他們未能推翻布什的否決一項法案，取消限制，政府的撥款為幹細胞研究。 And most irksome to their liberal supporters, they failed to win a raft of Iraq votes that would have imposed withdrawal timetables for US troops or restricted war funding.最irksome他們自由的支持者，他們未能贏得一筏伊拉克的選票，這將有施加撤出的時間表，美軍或限制戰爭的經費。
Pelosi said Congress had “put a lot of pressure on the administration” over the war through “very intense oversight.” But, she conceded, “No one is more disappointed with the fact that we couldn’t change that (the course of the war) than I am.”佩洛西說，國會已“提出了很大的壓力，政府當局”戰爭“非常激烈的監督。 ”但是，她讓步， “沒有人是更多的失望，事實上，我們無法改變， （當然，該戰爭）比我“ 。
Pelosi said she and other Democrats made one miscalculation on that front: They underestimated the GOP’s willingness to rally behind an unpopular president on an unpopular issue.佩洛西說，她和其他民主派了一個錯誤，對前線：他們低估了共和黨的願意團結在背後的一個不受歡迎的總統，一個不受歡迎的問題。
Republicans said they were unified against the Democrats’ “slow-bleed” strategy for Iraq.共和黨人說，他們統一對民主派的“慢流血”戰略的伊拉克。
Sen. Christopher “Kit” Bond, R-Mo., said Democrats spent “an awful lot of time redoing” varying Iraq votes to send “a message to their extreme left-wing base.” Now that the United States is seeing some military progress in Iraq, he said, “I think we’ll see them temper their political efforts” on the war.參議員克里斯托弗“套件”債券，的R -莫，說，民主黨人花“一可怕的大量的時間重做”變伊拉克票發送“訊息給他們的極端左翼基地” ，現在表示，美國是可以看到一些軍事在伊拉克的進展，他說： “我認為我們將看到他們的脾氣，他們的政治努力， ”關於戰爭。
SETTING UP FOR ‘08 設立為'08
But that’s unlikely when Congress reconvenes next month.但是，這不太可能，當國會重新下個月。
“We will keep pushing the president to come up with withdrawal dates, with benchmarks, with time lines, and he will resist all of it,” Clay said. “我們會繼續推動總統拿出撤回的日期，與基準，隨著時間的路線，他將抵制所有的， ”粘土說。 “So it’ll be a test of wills again.” “因此，將考驗意志再次” 。
At the same time, Democrats said they hoped to shine a brighter spotlight on some new domestic issues.在同一時間內，民主派說，他們希望煥發出更加美好的聚光燈下對一些新的國內問題。 Pelosi said health care would be front and center, along with legislation to address global warming.佩洛西說，健康護理，將前端和中心，隨著立法，以解決全球氣候變暖。
Durbin said he expected a major push on economic issues and the mortgage crisis in particular.德賓說，他預期的一個主要推動就經濟問題和抵押貸款的危機，尤其是。
But others said the main issue on the agenda would be politics.但其他人說，主要問題列入議程，將政治。 With next year’s presidential race and congressional elections at full throttle, there will be “more of the same” gridlock, said Smith, the Washington University professor.明年的總統大選和國會選舉，在充分油門，會有“更多相同的”陷於癱瘓，史密斯表示，華盛頓大學教授。
“Legislative accomplishments will not be their chief goal,” he said. “立法的成績將不會成為他們的行政目標， ”他說。 “Setting themselves up for 2008 will be.” “設定自己在2008年會” 。
Megan Boehnke of the Post-Dispatch Washington bureau contributed to this story. 梅根彭的後派遣華盛頓局作出貢獻的這個故事。
See More: 看到更多的： Democrats 同盟Have Your Say: GOP deals Dems some bitter pills 你說：共和黨涉及機電工程署署長一些痛苦的藥丸
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