Congress is a great stage, and its members play their roles under the spotlight of a skeptical public, an acerbic media, and a plethora of interested parties. The 104th Congress, the first in four decades to be Republican controlled, is a watershed in congressional history. Using the theater metaphor to characterize the actions of Congress and to help make the institution more understandable, congressional life and behavior is dissected and placed in the broader context of changes in Congress in the 1990s. This book underscores the relationship among Congress and the other branches of the United States government.