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As the two men who would be vice president visited Capitol Hill on Tuesday, the U.S. Senate's top Democrat called for a power-sharing arrangement with the GOP in that evenly-divided chamber.

Democrats "won't be satisfied with anything less than 50-50 in the next Congress," said Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D. By that, Daschle means either rotating committee chairmen or splitting the chairmanships in half between the two parties.

At this point, the Democrats and Republicans are tied with 50 seats each in the Senate, but the GOP isn't buying Daschle's demand.

"Republicans will be in the majority," said Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss. "Somebody has to be in charge, and we will be very clear about what we do
there."

And Oklahoma Sen. Don Nickles, the number two Republican in the Senate, said "It's very hard to drive a car if two people are controlling the wheel at the same time."

If Republican George W. Bush prevails over Democrat Al Gore in the battle for the White House, the 50-50 split will remain. While Dick Cheney, as Bush's vice president, would be able to break tie votes in the Senate, that would give the GOP only nominal control of Congress' upper chamber. And from January 3, when the new Congress meets, until Inauguration Day on January 20, that control will rest with the Democrats, because Al Gore will still be the vice president.

Lott and Daschle were re-elected to their leadership posts by their respective parties on Tuesday, while Cheney and vice presidential rival Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., made the partisan rounds on Capitol Hill.

Commenting on the latest round of court battles in Florida's disputed presidential race, Lieberman said, "We have always said that the Florida Supreme Court will be the final arbiter."

Gore was headed to Florida's top state court after Judge N. Sanders Sauls' ruling against his unprecedented legal challenge to Bush's certified 537-vote win in the Sunshine State.

Lieberman told reporters his meeting with Capitol Hill Democrats was "most encouraging," and said "I will certainly convey the substance and the spirit of it" to Gore.

House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., presented a united front.

"Al Gore and Joe Lieberman enjoy strong support with our caucus for what they're doing to try to get every vote counted in Florida," Gephardt said.

Congressional aides said Lieberman received a standing ovation from House Democrats when he walked through the door and expressed gratitude for the "tremendous" support from his fellow Democrats.

Also Tuesdsay, Bush's running mate Cheney met with the Republican rank and file, telling them that the GOP transition effort was "up and running and operational now".

Cheney said he wanted to reach out to Democrats, but realized that "at this point some Democratic members may feel uncomfortable having those conversations"Gore's legal challenges are resolved.

During a private meeting with House Republicans, Cheney sought recommendations of people to fill administration jobs and said the "big problem" was the shortened transition period, according to Rep. Jim Greenwood, R-Pa.

Almost 40 percent of the time between Election Day and Inauguration Day on January has already passed.

"They're very optimistic and very positive," Rep. Christopher Smith, R-N.J., said after Cheney received a loud ovation in the meeting. "They're getting ready to govern."

After weeks of fierce post-election combat, Bush and Cheney both seemed to be going out of their way to soften their tone - wishing, perhaps, to grant Gore the room to bow out.

Cheney, who urged Bush's rival on Sunday to concede, told reporters, "I didn't come today with a message for Vice President Gore."