The Democrats have gained control of both houses of the U.S. Congress. Presumably acknowledging the fact President George Bush replaced Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld by former CIA chief Robert Gates.
With the new power equation in Washington the White House is also facing a number of policy changes. House Democrats are going to be taking over key Congressional committees, including the House International Relations Committee, which will likely be chaired by California's Congressmen Tom Lantos who is expected to convene congressional oversight hearings on a wide range of other international issues. There is some evidence that Mr. Lantos is very concerned with the democracy and human rights issues inside of Russia to the extent that he makes that a focus. It may mean that there is an inquiry into what the Bush Administrations policies have been. Although President Bush has been at odds with the Democrats over the war in Iraq and a host of domestic issues, the mid-term elections were a wake up call for the White House. And now President Bush will have to learn to work with the democrats in his final two years in office.