New and old Congress cross paths in lame duck session; Kennedy returns

Outgoing and incoming Washington crossed paths on Capitol Hill on Monday, as lawmakers-to-be trod the same pillared hallways as the members of Congress they defeated, the Senate convened without President-elect Barack Obama and a familiar face returned.

“It’s good to be back in the Senate,” Sen. Edward Kennedy, who has been battling brain cancer for six months, told reporters as he arrived flanked by his wife, Vicki, and two dogs, Sunny and Splash.

Kennedy is a one-man confluence of governments past, present and future, his arrival an apt prelude to the final session of the 110th Congress.

The House and Senate are meeting this week for one last showdown with President George W. Bush over whether to rescue the troubled auto industry from sinking beneath the turbulent economy. The plan was headed for a stalemate even before the bill was introduced.