As the 104th Congress limps to its adjournment, now seems to be as good a time as any to look back on what has been a tempestuous political season.

Congress was a blatantly partisan and confrontational body in 1995-96, attributes that at least partially contributed to two governmental shutdowns as Congress members and the White House battled each other and themselves over political ideology and the economic and social fate of our nation.

Congress was certainly a busy body, with legislation being passed that had major ramifications on nearly every aspect of American society.

Congress’ lists of accomplishments are quite long, which include a raise in the minimum wage, tightened immigration laws, the emergence of the line item veto, welfare reform, the telecommunications act, farm support efforts and the anti-homosexual “Defense of Marriage” act.

Failures also abounded in Capitol Hill. 1994’s “Republican Revolution” hit serious snags when President Clinton vetoed Congressionally-endorsed broad tax reductions and a seven-year budget plan that would have slashed Medicare and Medicaid.

All in all, Congress, spurred by the changing of the guard as the GOP took majority control in both houses, was motivated less by the Contract with America’s goals of shrinking the government and cutting taxes as it was by plain-old mean-spiritedness.

Despite its busy legislating, one couldn’t help but detect the tones of revenge, payback and partisan spite in both laws and law-makers.

As the sessions on Capitol Hill come to a close and the elections really begin to heat up, let’s hope all political candidates and incumbents learn a lesson from this Congress: eventually, a revolution must end, and that is when the real struggle truly begins.