Not-so-pleasant goodbyes

The holidays are here, and the 110th Congress has, by and large, ended. But there are many prominent retiring public officials who are not sending out Christmas cards to some of their soon-to-be-ex-colleagues.

It is hard to remember a Congress where there has been so much tension between the legislative and executive branches. Policies move through Washington largely on the basis of their content, but relationships also play a major role. And many relationships have soured during President Bush’s two terms in Washington.

Vice President Dick Cheney regularly sparred with many Democrats on Capitol Hill.

He famously told Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), “Go f— yourself.” Asked about his relationship with Cheney last month, Leahy told the Hill, “I love him,” before clarifying, in case anyone was confused, that he was joking.

Cheney is probably enjoying the ethical controversies swirling around House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.).

Rangel called Cheney a “son of a bitch” after Cheney predicted that the New York lawmaker would raise taxes and ruin the economy if Democrats captured control of the House.

After Rangel suggested Cheney had a mental disorder, the vice president said, “Charlie is losing it, I guess.

“I don’t know what I did to offend him, but he’s gotten pretty nasty lately. … I think Charlie is a lot older than I am, and it shows,” Cheney added.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), meanwhile, has called Bush a liar, a loser and one of the worst presidents ever. Reid subsequently apologized for the loser remark.

Unlike Cheney, Bush opted not to fire back.

Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) is retiring, but Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) will not be throwing him any going-away parties.

Hagel defeated Nelson with 56 percent of the vote in 1996, and a rivalry was born. The hatchet was never buried, even when Nelson was subsequently elected to the Senate.

But there is at least one intra-party tension that will not be carrying over into the 111th Congress.

Seeking the upper hand over the GOP on ethics, then-Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) bounced Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) off the Ways and Means Committee in 2006. Jefferson and Pelosi publicly jousted over the high-profile move, but they will not be having any more awkward encounters in the halls of the House, because Jefferson recently lost his reelection race.

President-elect Obama has vowed to change Washington. Perhaps he will. But personality conflicts, in-state rivalries and legislative tensions will forever be a mainstay on Capitol Hill.