Election years are notoriously bad times to get any legislation done, especially when you have a lame duck executive - the president has virtually no political capital to push any bills, and both parties are happy to avoid controversial issues that could create awkward sound-bites during campaign season.

While real issues get ignored, what you can expect to see are must-pass bills (like the budget) as well as dead-end votes that earn easy political points even though they never make it past a veto (like a time-line for withdrawal from Iraq or funding for stem-cell research).

With that said, Dems as well as the GOP know they can't go home with nothing done, so they may try to find easy issues where they can look useful. An economic stimulus plan and measures to prop up the sagging mortgage market are two good bets.

Agriculture. The House and Senate will be sitting down in early '08 to hash out a compromise between the two Farm Bills passed last year. With neither chamber proposing any radical change to the hodge-podge agriculture bill (like some fiscal conservatives would have preferred), it shouldn't be that hard for the two to see eye to eye - although Congress may have to contend with a threatened presidential veto.

Business & the Economy. With forecasters increasingly worried about the state of hte economy, the president may propose a stimulus package to flush more money and energy into the economy. The Senate may also wrap up a toy safety bill as well as a patent reform bill both passed by the House in late '07.

Education. Overdue for a renewal - and re-haul - No Child Left Behind could come up for debate this year, with Dems likely pushing to ease up on the bill's testing and standards requirements.

Energy & the Environment. Global warming could take congressional center stage this year, with a number of carbon emission "cap & trade" bills in the making - although any bill that manages to make it through Congress probably won't survive a veto. With a set of tax credits for green energy set to expire this year and next year, Congress will also have to decide how many and for how long to extend them before the year is out.

Government. Congress may revisit a bill that'd order all electronic voting machines came with a paper trail, HR 811.

Health. Major health reform won't happen until at least 2009, but Dems may make a go at smaller health bills this year, including a second try at expanding health coverage for low income kids. Congress will also have to decide whether or not to let doctors' Medicare fees drop 10%, which will happen in July unless Congress acts.

Housing. With subprime loans continuing to rock the mortgage and - wider - credit markets, Congress may try to keep more families from defaulting on their loans while tightening the rules on brokers and mortgage backers.

Intelligence. With a short term bill set to expire in February, the Senate will be taking an early look at a surveillance law that would give the courts some (thought not as much as civil libertarians would like) oversight over a wiretap program that listens in on foreign calls throuh - and to - the US.

Iraq. Funding for Iraq will come up again in early '08 as Congress considers fulfilling the rest of the president's $196 billion request for '08 (Congress already okayed $70 billion of that request in December '07). As with every Iraq related vote in '07, it is almost certain to be a battle ground for anti-war lawmakers who want to push for an early withdrawal.

The Media. After the Federal Communications Commission eased rules on joint ownership of newspapers and tv stations in late '07, Congress may take steps in '08 to reverse that decision.

National Security. Congress will have to whether to revamp or revote on the Defense Authorization bill, which Bush vetoed over the holidays because of a provision that would let Americans sue nations for terrorist acts; the president was worried it would be used against Iraq for Hussein's acts and possibly slow reconstruction efforts. (WP)

Taxes. Congressional leaders and the administration are tossing out ideas on tax reform - from permanently getting rid of the Alternative Minimum Tax to streamlining corporate taxes - but it's hard to imagine anything but short-term fixes getting to the president's desk.

Trade. Congress left a few free trade deals - with South Korea, Panama and Columbia - in limbo last year, but with little love for free trade, they're unlikely to make any headway this year. A better shot of getting congressional action are a bunch of bills that would pressure China to raise the value of the Yuan and rein in intellectual property pirates.