"Both Gore and Bush seem pragmatic and not dogmatic in their approaches to life and politics," Linsky wrote. "I assume that whoever is elected would govern from the middle and compromise to make progress."

The Numbers Game

No matter which candidate gets to measure the drapes in the Oval Office next year, Congress will still have a huge say in what policy actually can become law.

Both parties are gunning to be the majority party in the Senate, and as the majority party the Republicans obviously have the most to lose.

Beyond the voting supremacy of a Senate majority, there are other crucial factors. The majority controls the committee chairs, giving it a powerful say on what bills make it to the floor, and controls presidential appointment confirmation hearings.

"A President Bush will not be able to slam right wing ideological judges down the throat of a closely-divided Senate," Linsky wrote.

Currently, the GOP has a 54-46 majority in the Senate, but this majority rests on tenuous ground. Under any scenario, the Democrats need a net gain of five seats to take control of the Senate.

If Gore were elected, the Democrats would have control of an evenly-divided Senate, but to get to 50-50 (apparently a net gain of four seats) the Democrats would actually need to win an extra seat because Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman's (D-Conn.) replacement would be chosen by Connecticut's Republican governor.