WASHINGTON -- As the 109th Congress convened Tuesday, Illinois brought one of its most clout-heavy delegations in years to the capital, with both Democrats and Republicans in leadership roles and positions of influence.

From the confirmation of Republican Dennis Hastert's fourth straight term as speaker of the House and Democrat Dick Durbin's first term as Senate minority whip to the celebrity pull of newly sworn-in Democratic Sen. Barack Obama, the delegation is widely considered one of the most powerful and cohesive in Washington. "We're used to working very closely together to help Illinois," Hastert said Tuesday of the delegation's generally bipartisan cooperation. "And now with Durbin in the Senate (leadership), he can carry some of the load over there." Obama, from the Hyde Park neighborhood, was one of three freshman Democrats from Illinois sworn in Tuesday. In the House, Melissa Bean of Barrington and Daniel Lipinski, a Southwest Sider who succeeded his father, also took the oath.