The soup is simmering.

• Author: Kaitz, James A.
• Position: Agenda of new Congress

With the presidential inauguration and reprimand of he speaker of the house over, Congress is finally ready to get down to the business of legislating. While House and Senate leaders introduced their "top 10" wish lists of bills, the real action started with the delivery of the president's 1998 budget.

The start of this Congress bears no resemblance to its immediate predecessor. There are no grand pronouncements or predictions of revolution. Nothing must be done in 100 days, and there isn't a soul who wants to sign a contract. What we have is a menu of incremental change that presumably the voters asked for in November.

The spotlight now shines brightly on the Senate, and in particular Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.). Make no mistake, Lott is a staunch conservative. He is also pragmatic and willing to find ways to get legislation passed. He knows that success as the top Republican on Capitol Hill could be a launching pad for a more oval shaped office.

President Clinton, for his part, would like a balanced budget to be one of his administration's legacies. Perhaps a worthy goal, but he can't wave a magic wand and be done with it. He needs a lot of cooperation from his Republican friends in Congress, and they're not about to make his trip to Mt. Rushmore smooth sailing.

Republicans still have a bitter taste in their mouths from the Clinton campaign rhetoric that demonized them for proposing cuts in Medicare. The House remains dominated by rancor over the election and ethics charges, which has created a poisonous atmosphere. Despite all the talk of mutual respect and cooperation, the atmosphere is not conducive to bipartisanship.

Republicans are determined not to antagonize Medicare or Social Security recipients. Instead, they're focused on solidifying their base for 1998 and capturing the White House in 2000. Democrats remain a wild card on the Medicare issue. The Democratic House leadership, especially those with presidential aspirations, might view a protracted and acrimonious debate on Medicare to be a political plus.

Any progress on balancing the which requires budget, making some tough choices on entitlement spending, must come with the full endorsement of the president. The Republican message to Mr. Clinton is a polite "After you, sir." That...