The Obama Congress How the Democrats should set their priorities

THE 111th CONGRESS is front-loaded and ready for Obama.

At least the Democrats say they are. But what among the crowded to-do list should it tackle first after being sworn in tomorrow - and what can be left safely on the back burner, at least for a while?

And will the new majority stand firm when conservatives attack, as they surely will, or will it relapse into its legendary timidity?

The congressional calendar for this month is unusually busy, including seven voting days in the two weeks before Barack Obama becomes president on Jan. 20. Members of Congress usually take their oaths in the first week of January, then go on vacation until Inauguration Day.

The hope is that, on his first day, Obama will have a lot of bill-signing to do - and more in the coming months. Here's what we think Congress should work on first.

Stimulus: Of course. In the two months since the election, the estimated amount of spending needed to create jobs, build infrastructure, invest in green technology, free up credit and strengthen the safety net has gone up, and then up again. The numbers being bandied about - $600 billion from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi - would have been unthinkable just a few months ago. But that was then - before the financial bailout. Now, many say $600 billion would be too little, too late.

Progressive economists point to Herbert Hoover and FDR and say it's better to spend too much than too little. Unlike the people now in charge (and many of the Clinton veterans who soon will be) these guys were right before, sounding the alarm about the housing bubble and the dangers of deregulation. We'll go with them. Last week, Senate Republican minority leader Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, started making noises about "full vetting" and lengthy investigations. Ignore him. Reportedly, Obama wants to get 80 votes in the Senate for the stimulus package to demonstrate consensus, but the emergency is too great to do anything but insist that Republicans get onboard or be left behind, where they can explain to their constituents why they stood in the way of saving the economy.

Close Guantanamo. It's only the first move of many needed to re-establish the United States as a country that abides by international law and its own principles, but it's an important start.

Health Insurance for Kids. The last Congress was able to pass an increase in coverage for kids under the State Children's Health Insurance Program, but it was vetoed twice by President Bush. It's now needed more than ever. SCHIP is separate from the need to overhaul the health-care system, but it could increase support for the bold government actions we need. Even if it doesn't, kids will be better off.

Investigate. Congress can't use the desire for bipartisanship as an excuse for not fulfilling its duty to document the extent of the Bush administration's lawlessness - in spying, in fixing intelligence, in politicizing the Justice Department. It's not "looking backward," but a prerequisite for repairing the Constitution for use by future generations.

Our Job. Change will come only when the majority in Congress is more afraid of disappointing supporters than angering opponents. *