Front Page USAToday: Bickering tops 110th Congress' agenda

Bickering tops 110th Congress' agenda

...The Democrats' agenda — as spelled out in the first 10 bills Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid introduced in January — has produced one law: a minimum-wage hike. Before the August break, Democrats are hustling two more to President Bush to tighten congressional ethics rules and to enact the9/11 Commission's proposals.

Many other promises have been stymied. On Iraq and immigration, Congress failed to reach consensus. One of 12 spending bills needed to fund the government for the next fiscal year has passed — and Bush has threatened to veto it.

Congress' approval ratings in a Gallup Poll taken last month were at 27% — 1 point higher than in November, when voters ousted the GOP from power...

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., blames Democrats for focusing on issues more likely to provoke confrontation. "There's little or nothing to show for the first seven months," he said.

It's a far cry from the tone set at the beginning of the year. "The American people are expecting positive results from the 110th Congress, not more partisan rancor," Reid said on Jan. 4. "When faced with a problem, we will seek solutions, not mere political advantage," McConnell responded.