Preface
This book， like the first edition， is the product of our personal fascination and
professional experience with a most complex and perplexing body， the United
States Congress. As academic political scientists， we have written technical
studies about Congress and its lawmakers; taught undergraduate and
graduate courses; conducted workshops for officials in this country and in
Europe， Africa， and Latin America; and tried to interpret congressional
trends for wider audiences through lectures and writings. We also have been
privileged to serve as professional staff members for several House and Senate
committees and commissions that have attempted to reexamine congressional
organization and operations. Finally， we serve as \"in-house\" researchers in
the oldest of the four legislative support agencies， the Congressional Research
Service.
In writing this book， we have in mind both general readers seeking an
introduction to the modern Congress and college or university students taking
courses on the legislative process and national policy making. The book has as
its organizing theme the tensions between Congress as a collection of
individuals and Congress as an institution， but we have tried not to allow this
theme to obscure treatment of the history， structure， behavior， and policy role
of Congress.
As our first edition went to press in 1981， the Republicans had just
captured the Senate for the first time in a generation， and the Reagan
juggernaut was in full swing on Capitol Hill. It was one of those rare
moments--only the fourth in this century--when the irresistible momentum
of presidential leadership， backed by popular support， swept aside congres-
sional roadblocks to effect far-reaching shifts in the political agenda and
programmatic priorities.
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