Congress measured on Schiavo after poll

WASHINGTON -- After Congress' high-profile entry into the Terri Schiavo case, most lawmakers responded in a low-key manner to yesterday's Supreme Court decision not to intervene in the dispute, underscoring the delicate political nature of the controversy.The measured reactions came as polls have shown public disapproval of Washington's actions in the matter.

The terse statements from Capitol Hill regarding the Supreme Court's decision contrasted with the spate of news conferences a week ago, when several lawmakers began pushing legislation to allow federal courts to review the Schiavo case.House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, who spearheaded that drive, issued a joint statement with House Judiciary Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., R-Wis., expressing "profound sadness and disappointment" with the court decision. But they suggested that there was nothing else that Congress could do in the Schiavo case.