SO MUCH DONE; SO MUCH YET TO DO:

107th Congress Sped, Then Sputtered: President Had Success on Tax Cuts, Education Before Domestic Agenda Stalled (Helen Dewar, October 20, 2002, Washington Post)

Major achievements included tax cuts worth $1.35 trillion over 10 years, education reforms, legislation to expand the president's trade negotiating authority, and anti-terrorism initiatives. Among the failures or unfinished business were once-ambitious energy legislation, a variety of health care initiatives, overhaul of bankruptcy laws, retirement protections, reauthorization of the 1996 welfare reforms and creation of a Department of Homeland Security. [...]

In a metaphor for the whole 107th Congress, lawmakers could not even wind up their business in a definitive fashion. Unable to pass any domestic spending bills for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1, they put the government on temporary funding and straggled home last week to campaign for the midterm elections, but are subject to recall if needed for votes. [...]

Thomas E. Mann of the Brookings Institution said that even on the major accomplishments -- including tax cuts, education, trade and the Iraq war resolution -- "the jury is still out" on whether they will lead to their desired results in terms of economic well-being, school progress, liberalized trade and a safer world.

That is not of course the true metaphor for this Congress. Instead one would look to James Jefford's bizarre decision to vote for the tax cut just before switching parties. There you saw what kind of big and much-needed changes were possible with the GOP completely in charge. But once Democrats took the Senate, things like Social Security reform, school vouchers, a partial-birth abortion ban, and a prescription drug plan became impossible.
Posted by Orrin Judd at October 21, 2002 9:08 AM