'Lame ducks' head to D.C.

The congressional lame duck session that opens Tuesday will be the 14th such meeting since 1940, according to the Senate Historical Office.

"Lame duck" refers to defeated or retired lawmakers who have lost power but still must carry out obligations of their office. In the past, congressional lame duck sessions have dealt with World War II, the 1954 censure of Communist-hunting Sen. Joseph McCarthy, R-Wis., and the 1998 impeachment of President Clinton.

Other times, Congress was simply unable to get its act together during its regular session and needed more time to pass routine spending bills.

This year's session falls somewhere in between. On the plate are long-stalled bills on bankruptcy and creation of a new Department of Homeland Security, as well as neglected spending bills.

But there's a good reason these bills have languished: Congress was busy debating the war on terrorism and President Bush's plans for Iraq.

In that respect, the reason for this week's session resembles the situation in 1974, when a lame-duck meeting was held for routine matters delayed by extraordinary circumstances (the Watergate investigation and President Nixon's resignation).

There's a twist to this week's session, however: No one knows who will be in charge.

Although Tuesday's elections gave Republicans a Senate majority for the 108th Congress that starts in January, the lame duck session was left in limbo.

For the moment, the recent death of Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minn., has left no party in charge of the 100-member Senate. Republicans have 49 seats, while Democrats and an independent who votes with them together hold another 49 seats. Another seat will be held by Missouri Democrat Jean Carnahan until that state certifies the results of Tuesday's election, at which point Republican Jim Talent immediately takes her place. Talent defeated Carnahan in a race to finish the term of Carnahan's husband, who died just before the 2000 election. Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, an independent, appointed Minnesota state official Dean Barkley to fill the remaining weeks of Wellstone's term. In January, Wellstone's seat will be taken over by Republican Norm Coleman, the victor in Tuesday's Minnesota Senate election.

But until then, Barkley holds the deciding vote for Senate majority leader. And he has not said which party he prefers.

Will he back Republican Trent Lott? Or will he put Democrat Tom Daschle in charge?

Wait and see.

Young happy to work with GOP Senate

Rep. C.W. Bill Young, meanwhile, is looking forward to the 108th Congress. The Largo Republican says the Republican takeover of the Senate will make his job easier.

Young, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, says he'll have an easier time passing federal spending bills with Republican Ted Stevens as his Senate counterpart instead of Democrat Robert Byrd.

"Ted and I have worked together for years," Young said last week. "We established a good bond."

Relations were good with Byrd, Young says, but it was harder to pass bills because of partisan differences and the fact the Senate never approved a budget resolution.

Stevens, like Byrd and Young, is renowned for getting political pork for his state, including projects to help the beluga whale.

Young says Stevens has made him a believer: "The beluga whale is an important animal."

Vietnam Memorial anniversary

Wednesday marks the 20th anniversary of the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Every year, thousands of visitors to the wall leave mementos such as letters, poems and pictures for the fallen soldiers. Thanks to a non-profit Web site in operation since 1997, visitors to the Virtual Wall, at www.virtualwall.org, can do the same.

Visitors to the virtual site can submit notes and photographs to be placed on memorial pages dedicated to individuals whose names are on the wall.

The volunteers who run the site have relatives or friends named on the wall. The site states, "We wish The Virtual Wall to reflect the dignity and solemnity of the wall."

-- Compiled by Times staff writers Mary Jacoby, Bill Adair and Paul De La Garza.

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