Washington ? Senate Republicans are pulling out wish lists that grew tattered and faded during the past 17 months to underline, highlight and prioritize. Among their favorites: cutting taxes; approving conservative judges; and drilling for oil in the Alaskan wilderness.

By early next year, the Republicans will once again be running it all – the White House and both chambers of Congress – as they did during President Bush’s first few months in office.

Ideas that seemed like pie in the sky while Democrats controlled the Senate suddenly look doable again.

That does not mean it will be easy. The Senate remains closely divided, and Democrats can use parliamentary maneuvers to delay and even block bills.

“Some people say, ‘Full steam ahead, just get it done.’ That’s easier said than done in the Senate,” noted Trent Lott, who will once again be Senate majority leader. “But we do have an opportunity now.”

Many of the president’s initiatives have been passed by the House, only to languish in the Senate, which shifted to Democratic control after Vermont Sen. Jim Jeffords defected from the GOP to become an independent in the summer of 2001.

Among the ideas seeing new life since Republicans swept the midterm elections last week:

Cut those taxes

A major goal for Bush is making permanent $1.35 trillion in tax cuts that were enacted last year and are set to expire in 2010. They include lower income tax rates and a phase-out of the estate tax.

To help revive the economy, Bush wants legislation that would include government-backed terrorism insurance, meant to free up billions of dollars worth of construction projects put on hold for lack of private coverage.

The legislation might also include Republican proposals for more tax relief for businesses, to spur investment; new deductions to help investors with losses from the plunging stock market; and incentives to enhance retirement savings.

There will be little traction now for Democrats’ ideas in this kind of measure, such as increasing the minimum wage and extending unemployment benefits.

With budget deficits growing, Bush also will be looking for more congressional cooperation in curbing federal spending.

Homeland security plans

A new Homeland Security Department to guard against terrorists may break free from the Senate now. The idea has been ensnared in a partisan battle about Bush’s insistence that the agency’s 170,000 workers be exempt from collective bargaining rights. Bush angered Democrats by accusing them of putting special interests – the unions – ahead of Americans’ security.

The change in leadership may also be reflected in investigations of intelligence failures before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Sen. Pat Roberts, R.-Kan., one of the CIA’s strongest defenders, is expected to become chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Iraq invasion support

Congress has backed Bush on the possible use of force in Iraq, and the election results will further strengthen his hand if he decides to go to war.

The incoming chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Richard Lugar of Indiana, is a centrist who worked closely with the Democratic chairman, Joseph Biden of Delaware, so this is a rare instance where lawmakers expect the changeover in power to bring few major shifts.

Conservative appointments

More conservative judges could soon be sitting on federal courts. After months of complaining that Democrats were holding up the president’s judicial nominations, Republicans are planning ways to quickly push dozens of candidates for judgeships through the Senate. They also hope to revive two appeals court nominations that were rejected by the Judiciary Committee – cases that Bush cited in the campaign to portray the Democrats as obstructionists.

Republicans also are excited about the possibility that Bush will get to make his first Supreme Court nomination, should a justice retire, with the GOP controlling the Senate confirmation process.

Alaska refuge open

The odds have improved somewhat for Bush’s plan to open Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, but Democrats could still block it with a filibuster. Other energy policies left in limbo because of disagreements between the House and Senate now will probably be decided along Republican lines – with more focus on energy production and less on conservation.

Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., is likely to assume chairmanship of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and continue to lead the appropriations subcommittee that deals with energy financing. This will give Domenici – a strong advocate for nuclear power and the Energy Department’s research labs, two of which are in his state – unprecedented sway over development of energy policy.

Prescription overhaul

Both parties want to expand prescription drug coverage for the elderly. The issue was prominent during the 2000 elections but got bogged down in Congress, with Democrats pushing for a more expensive plan with better benefits. The election results enhance the odds that the GOP version – which relies on private insurance companies instead of Medicare to administer the program – will prevail.

Privatize Social Security

Prospects look better for partial privatization of Social Security, an issue that all but disappeared when the high-flying stock market took a nosedive. The volatile market aside, Bush and congressional Republicans still hope to allow younger workers to divert a portion of their payroll taxes into 401(k)-style investment accounts. Democrats oppose the plan as too risky for workers who rely on Social Security as their safety net. It might be a year before the issue comes up for votes in Congress.