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With Democrats holding the majority, moderates will be driving policy in Congress.
For Democrats, who swept back into power in both the House and Senate last week, the pledge to govern in a bipartisan way may not be postvictory rhetoric. At least in the Senate, it's a mandate of the math.
While an effective 51-49 majority allows Democrats to organize the Senate - Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut and Bernard Sanders of Vermont ran as independents - it is still nine votes short of the 60 votes now needed to advance controversial bills on issues ranging from taxes to the Iraq war.
"Nothing can be accomplished in this town unless it's on a bipartisan basis," said Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, after meeting with President Bush and Vice President Cheney at the White House on Friday.
