This is a Bart Simpson Congress: underachievers and proud of it.

People are looking to Congress for leadership and constructive action. Instead, the Republicans in Congress have served up inaction in a fast and furious blame game,

To this congress the poet speaks not of peculiar and personal things, but of what in himself is most common, most anonymous, most fundamental, most true of all men.

On Capitol Hill Congress runs by an internal clock: Legislative days are not counted the way calendar days are, and the seasons are marked not by the earth's orbit but by whether Congress is in session or out.

It's Orwellian. The pharmaceutical lobby writes the bill, passes it, and then they run ads thanking them for passing it.

I'm getting pessimistic. I'm getting worried. We have about a week left -- at the most two weeks -- and we aren't to first base,