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Lame-duck sessions supposed to be a thing of the past, historians say

By David A. Fahrenthold
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, December 17, 2010; 3:30 PM

Here's the funny thing about this month's "lame duck" session of Congress, in which frantic legislators have pinballed from tax cuts to "don't ask, don't tell" to a nuclear weapons treaty.

It's not supposed to exist.

In 1933, historians say, the country ratified a constitutional amendment intended to kill off sessions like this - where defeated legislators return to legislate. The headline in The Washington Post was "Present Lame Duck Session Will Be Last."

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