The first Democratic-led Congress in a dozen years limped out of Washington on Wednesday night with a lengthy list of accomplishments, from the first increase in fuel-efficiency standards in a generation to the first minimum-wage increase in a decade. But Democrats' failure to address key issues that swept them to power left even the most partisan of them dissatisfied. They're constrained by a majority that's too slim to break party-line filibusters in the Senate or override presidential vetoes and by divisions among themselves over how far to go in opposing the war or changing how deals get done. Here's a look at their successes and disappointments: THE VICTORIES 5 FOR 6 ON THE 'SIX FOR '06' AGENDA Of the six issues on their "Six for '06" agenda, five were sent to President Bush, who signed four: a minimum wage increase to $7.25 per hour by 2009; implementation of the Sept. 11 commission recommendations; a reduction in student loan rates and increase in Pell grants; and a higher motor vehicle fuel-economy standard for the first time in three decades, to 35 miles per gallon by 2020. The energy bill, which Bush signed into law Wednesday, also mandates conservation and the use of more renewable energy. Federal funding for stem cell research was vetoed.

VETERANS AND ETHICS OVERHAULS Congress also boosted spending on veterans' needs and secured the biggest overhaul of ethics and lobbying rules since Watergate. On Wednesday, Democrats unveiled a proposal to create the first nonpartisan ethics review panel in House history.

INVESTIGATING BUSH

Democrats have used their newfound power to investigate Bush, including launching an inquiry into the politicization of the Justice Department, which led to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' resignation. And their majority has stopped Bush from pursuing new fronts on Social Security, tax cuts or social conservatives' agenda.

GUN CONTROL AND OTHERS ...

They passed the most significant gun-control legislation since the early 1990s, by tightening the instant background check process. And they also passed a slew of legislation that has gotten little notice, such as more money for math and science teachers who attain more credentials in their field, tax relief for homeowners in foreclosure, a doubling of basic research funding and reclamation projects for the hurricane-devastated Gulf Coast.

THE DRAWS WAR FUNDING VS. PET PROJECTS The long-awaited showdown with Bush on the federal budget fizzled this week at an uncomfortable draw. The president got his $70 billion in war funding, with no strings attached, while the Democrats -- using "emergency" funding designations -- broke through his spending limit by $11 billion, the amount they promised to add after Republicans rejected a proposed $22 billion domestic spending increase. However, faced with the president's threatened veto of every spending bill, Democrats agreed to a $555 billion omnibus spending bill that contained billions less than they wanted for programs dear to their constituencies, including Head Start.

Remarkably, House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, praised the final "omnibus" spending bill in glowing terms, while Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called holding the top-line spending figure at Bush's preferred level "an extraordinary success." "Our work on holding the line on spending gave us an omnibus that is better than I've seen in my 17 years here," Boehner said Wednesday. Twelve of those years were spent under Republican rule.

When Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., a committee chairman and presidential candidate, saw the amount he wanted for a law enforcement program slashed from $110 million to $20 million in the waning days, he fumed, "We're spending billions on this war abroad, but pocket change on fighting crime next door."

Senate Republican Whip Trent Lott of Mississippi read their capitulation this way: "The Democrats said, 'Look, our polling numbers are worse than the president's. We need some production. We need some things we can point to and say 'We got it done.'"

the LOSSES

The war on terror

The military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, remains open. Bush's warrantless surveillance program was actually codified and expanded on the Democrats' watch. Lawmakers could not eliminate the use of harsh interrogation tactics by the CIA.

HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM

Democratic leaders also could not overcome the president's vetoes on expanding coverage of the State Children's Health Insurance Program to 10 million children, despite winning over large numbers of Republicans.

UNABLE TO OVERRIDE POLICIES

Policies that liberals thought would be swept aside with the Democratic majority remain untouched, including:

• A prohibition on federal funding for international family planning organizations that offer abortions.

• Perks for oil and energy companies, venture capitalists and hedge funds.

• Immigration rules for an estimated 12 million undocumented residents.

IRAQ WAR POLICIES

Bush prevailed on every Iraq-themed fight. Some Democrats have grown so distraught that they do not expect any significant change in Iraq policy unless a Democrat wins the White House in 2008.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., conceded it was time for Democrats to forget about trumpeting accomplishments and to change the message to a political one: If you want change, elect more Democrats.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the majority whip tasked with trying to find 60 votes for filibuster-proof margins, admitted this week that Democrats' biggest failure was expecting "more Republicans to take an independent stance" on Iraq. Instead, the lion's share of them stood with Bush. "Many of them will have to carry that with them into the election," Durbin said.

MCCLATCHY NEWS SERVICE, ASSOCIATED PRESS