As his State of the Union message clearly demonstrated, no one more intuitively senses the mood of Congress than Lyndon Johnson. And, unlike the obedient Democratic 89th, which acquiesced in almost every Administration whim, the 90th Congress will offer far more contention than consensus when it comes to the President's legislative proposals. Johnson recognized as much in conceding before the new Congress: "The genius of the American political system has always been best expressed through creative debate that offers choices and reason able alternatives."
The 90th could well become the Debating Congress, skeptical of Administration policies both domestic and foreign....