Polls over, Senators to get together

Alexander, elected in 2002, and Carper, who came to the Senate two years earlier, said they were frustrated by the gridlock on Capitol Hill. They hope to begin changing the environment 8216;8216;from Day One8217;8217; by introducing new members and their families to each other, 8216;8216;before they get pulled into their party caucuses and start exchanging blows,8217;8217; as Carper put it.

Both former governors, their model is the kind of bipartisanship they said has made the National Governors Association NGA an effective force in promoting welfare reform, education reform and other causes.

The programme, which begins next Sunday and continues till November 17, is being run by Emily Reynolds, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist8217;s appointee as Secretary of the Senate. Twenty sitting senators have agreed to serve as 8216;8216;faculty8217;8217; for sessions that will cover topics like office management, ethics, and the balancing of official and family responsibilities.

The programme excludes policy debates, Alexander said, and focuses on 8216;8216;what it takes for the Senate to function as an institution and fulfill its constitutional role.8217;8217; 8212;LAT-WP