GOP moderates are teaming up with Democrats to push for a second investigation by the Select Committee on Intelligence. In a Dec. 20 letter, GOP Sens. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska and Olympia Snowe of Maine joined Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein of California, Carl Levin of Michigan, and Ron Wyden of Oregon in calling for an "immediate inquiry" on whether the president exceeded his authority by authorizing wiretapping without a warrant.

Behind the scenes, a battle is also raging on how aggressively to push the White House on reports of secret CIA prisons abroad. Before breaking for the holidays, both the Senate and House called for the director of national intelligence to submit a classified report to the intelligence committees on secret prisons. At the 11th hour, the provision was stripped out of the FY 2006 Defense Authorization bill, with the understanding that the issue would be taken up directly by the intelligence panels.

There's more:

As Congress wound down last month, an unidentified Republican senator blocked the intelligence authorization bill that included the amendment on secret prisons. It also included an amendment by Sen. Edward Kennedy (D) of Massachusetts requiring the Bush administration to turn over prewar intelligence.

A long-stalled item on the investigative agenda is Phase II of a probe by the intelligence committee into whether the Bush administration manipulated prewar intelligence. After Democrats called the Senate into a rare secret session over this issue, insiders say the committee is now "fully engaged" on this issue, which is also expected to surface early in the new year.

The biggest investigation of all could be that involving Jack Abramoff.

In the run-up to Mr. Abramoff's expected trial date on Jan. 9, members in both parties are returning campaign contributions associated with his name. Since 1999, at least 250 members of Congress have accepted campaign funds from Abramoff or his American Indian clients, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

During Bush's first term, Congress just did his bidding. Now, it appears, our elected representatives may show some spunk. Urge them on, every chance you get.