Katrina Puts Estate Tax Repeal on Ice

GOP Agenda Shifts as Political Trials Grow
Katrina Puts Estate Tax Repeal on Ice

By Shailagh Murray and Charles Babington
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, September 6, 2005; Page A06

As Congress returns from its August recess today, Republicans face a far more troubling political landscape than the one they left a month ago, according to lawmakers in both parties.

Gasoline prices have skyrocketed, the Bush administration is being widely criticized for its handling of Hurricane Katrina, and as the war in Iraq grows increasingly unpopular, the president's approval ratings have sunk to an all-time low. Further complicating the picture is a rare double vacancy on the Supreme Court, which could trigger sniping between the GOP's center and right wing if not deftly handled.