Washington, Sep 9 -

Congress returned to work Monday evening -- if you want to call it that. It might be more accurate to say members of the House and Senate returned to Washington for several weeks of speechifying and vilifying before returning to the campaign trail for more of the same -- and leaving a pile of unfinished work for the next Congress and a new president.

There's certainly plenty Congress could do. Seven months after President George W. Bush submitted his final federal budget proposal and less than a month before the start of a new fiscal year, Congress has yet to pass a single appropriations bill. It might pass one or two before fiscal 2009 begins on Oct. 1 -- the Pentagon and military construction bills are prime candidates -- but most decisions will be delayed until after November's winners take office. A bill allowing Washington to spend at current levels is probably the best the current lawmakers will do.

Even that may prove tougher than usual. In past years, these "continuing resolutions" also extended a federal ban on most offshore oil drilling. Republicans, with convention chants of "drill, baby, drill" still echoing in their ears, probably will try to strip that provision. Democrats have indicated they might propose a broad energy bill to include some loosening of the drilling ban, alternative energy incentives and tax increases on oil companies. In the House, they plan to propose it under terms that allow only limited debate and no amendments -- a recipe for stalemate.

Of course, if your idea of work is scoring political points, that may be enough.