The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer

JIM LEHRER: Good evening. I`m Jim Lehrer.

On the NewsHour tonight: the news of this Thursday, led by the coming of the 110th Congress, with the first woman speaker of the House, and a Democratic majority for the first time in 12 years. Our coverage includes: reports on the day`s events in the House and Senate by Kwame Holman; interviews with party House leaders Democrat Charles Rangel and Republican Adam Putnam; and some overview perspective from four former House and Senate members.

(BREAK)

JIM LEHRER: The 110th Congress convened today, under new management. Democrats took control of both the House and Senate for the first time in 12 years.

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi made history when she was sworn in as the first female speaker of the House. She called it "a moment for which we have waited more than 200 years." House Democrats promised immediate action on banning gifts from lobbyists.

On the Senate side, the new majority leader, Harry Reid, appealed for an end to partisan gridlock. We`ll have much more on Congress right after this news summary.

It was widely reported today the national intelligence director, John Negroponte, is switching jobs. He`s expected to move to the number-two post in the State Department. State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack would not confirm it, but he did praise Negroponte as "a diplomat`s diplomat."

SEAN MCCORMACK, State Department Spokesman: He is somebody of excellent judgment, long experience, both in Washington and abroad, very well-respected among members of the international community, knows the international community, somebody who really knows how to get things done.

JIM LEHRER: Negroponte took the top intelligence job in April of 2005.

The Associated Press reported retired Vice Admiral Mike McConnell is the president`s choice to replace him. McConnell has worked in the intelligence field for more than 25 years. An announcement is expected tomorrow. Both nominations are subject to Senate confirmation.

Linton Brooks is being dismissed as head of the U.S. nuclear weapons program. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said today he failed to fix security problems. Those included failing to report a theft of Social Security numbers on 1,500 workers. Separately, nuclear documents turned up at the home of a former employee at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

White House counsel Harriet Miers is resigning at the end of this month; that announcement came today. In October of 2005, President Bush nominated Miers to the U.S. Supreme Court. She later withdrew after conservatives attacked her credentials.

At least two Iraqi guards have now been arrested for recording Saddam Hussein`s execution on a cell phone. An aide to the prime minister confirmed that to Reuters today. He said, "We have identified those who flouted the rules. Even for a dictator like Saddam, the law must be obeyed."

In the latest violence today, at least 13 Iraqis died when a pair of car bombs exploded near a fuel station in Baghdad.

Elsewhere in the city, another U.S. soldier was killed by small-arms fire.

President Bush spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki today by videophone for nearly two hours. A White House spokesman said they discussed a possible new strategy. He said that included having "sufficient force" to secure Baghdad. The spokesman would not say directly if that means sending more American troops.

In Somalia, government troops, backed by Ethiopian forces, battled 600 Islamic fighters today. The fighting was centered in the south, near the border with Kenya. A Somali government spokesman said the militiamen must surrender or die.

Thousands of Somali refugees were stranded in the region, after Kenya closed the border. But in Nairobi, the Kenyan foreign minister defended the decision to bar the refugees.

RAPHAEL TUJU, Foreign Minister, Kenya: We have established that some of the combatants are sending their families to pose as refugees while they stay in Somalia. This is with the intention of probably using Kenya as a safe haven for their families while they destabilize the lawful government of Somalia.

JIM LEHRER: In Washington, Secretary of State Rice announced the United States will give $16 million in food and other aid to help the refugees.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane, Washington, will pay at least $48 million to victims of sexual abuse by priests. The move announced today is part of a bankruptcy reorganization plan for the diocese; it must still be approved by victims and a federal bankruptcy judge.

The Federal Trade Commission fined the makers of four diet pills some $25 million today for false advertising. The products included One-a-Day Weight Smart, Xenadrine EFX, CortiSlim, and TrimSpa.

The FTC said the marketers claimed everything from rapid weight loss to lowered risk of cancer and Alzheimer`s, but there was no scientific evidence. The products will remain in stores, but the companies have to stop making the false claims.

The price of crude oil plunged again today, as warm weather held down demand in the United States and Europe. In New York, the price fell more than $2.70, to finish well below $56 a barrel. It`s down 9 percent just in the last two days.

On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained six points to close above 12,480. And the Nasdaq rose 30 points to close at 2,453.

And that`s it for the news summary tonight. Now: here comes the new Congress, and the new power that comes with it.

(BREAK)

JIM LEHRER: The making of history with the opening of the 110th Congress of the United States. NewsHour Congressional Correspondent Kwame Holman begins our extensive coverage.

KWAME HOLMAN: Nancy Pelosi began the most significant day of her political career by attending a morning prayer service at a Catholic church two blocks from the Capitol.

And at Pelosi`s invitation, several Republicans attended as well, including Minority Leader John Boehner. Pelosi`s deputy, Maryland`s Steny Hoyer, stopped to talk to reporters.

REP. STENY HOYER (D-MD), House Majority Leader: We`re going to have a historic day and the elevation of the first woman in our history to the speakership of the House of Representatives, third in line for the presidency. Nancy Pelosi will bring a focus, she has said, on bringing civility, integrity, and fiscal responsibility to the House of Representatives.

KWAME HOLMAN: Meanwhile, on the grounds of the Capitol, friends of Nancy Pelosi arrived to witness this historic day. Jerry Brown, California`s former governor and next attorney general, was there. So was longtime Democratic congressman and former Bush Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, also a Californian.

NORMAN MINETA, Former Secretary of Transportation: To me, this is a great day for the Democrats to be able to take the House back again and my former colleague, Nancy Pelosi, becoming the speaker. So it`s just an exciting day.

KWAME HOLMAN: Even the man who famously sings about leaving his heart in Pelosi`s hometown of San Francisco was on hand.

TONY BENNETT, Musician: She`s a wonderful lady, and I think she`s going to do great things for America.

KWAME HOLMAN: And, of course, some current members of Congress were equally thrilled. California Democrat Zoe Lofgren remembered 1994, her first year in Congress, and the first of a dozen years of Republican rule.

REP. ZOE LOFGREN (D), California: It was cold 12 years ago today, when I was first sworn in and saw the gavel handed to Newt Gingrich for the first time. And, today, the trees are starting to bloom, and the birds are chirping.

KWAME HOLMAN: Republican Steve Chabot of Ohio also first came to office in 1994, but today he was less optimistic.

REP. STEVE CHABOT (R), Ohio: I think historically it`s significant to have the first woman in history as our speaker of the House. That`s long overdue. I just hope that the Democrats and our new speaker follow through on what they`ve said.

It`s a little discouraging when they talked about having open government and allowing the minority to offer amendments to bills and, at least in the first 100 hours, they`re shutting things down, and that`s going to be run their way -- it`s kind of their way or the highway. And I think that`s a little unfortunate, but that`s the way it is.

KWAME HOLMAN: Inside the House chamber, opening day ceremonies officially kicked off precisely at noon.

HOUSE CLERK: The House will be in order.

KWAME HOLMAN: As various housekeeping duties were dispensed with, Pelosi settled in with her six grandchildren, as did other members with their families.

The first Muslim congressman, Keith Ellison of Minnesota, chatted with his new colleagues. He`s one of 42 Democrats among the 55 in the new freshman class.

Former Democratic House Speaker Tom Foley also was seen congratulating the speaker-to-be.

Then, Illinois Democrat Rahm Emanuel, who as the party`s House campaign manager was credited with engineering the Democrats` midterm victories, rose to nominate Ms. Pelosi to be speaker.

REP. RAHM EMANUEL (D-IL), Chairman, Democratic Caucus: Madam Clerk, as the chairman of the Democratic Caucus, I`m directed by the unanimous vote of that caucus to present for election to office of the speaker of the House of Representatives for the 110th Congress, the name of the Honorable Nancy Pelosi, as a member from the state of California.

(APPLAUSE)

KWAME HOLMAN: As is tradition, the minority party also nominates its leader, fully aware of what the outcome will be. For the Republicans today, it was John Boehner, nominated by Florida`s Adam Putnam.

REP. ADAM PUTNAM (R), Florida: Madam Clerk, I`m pleased to put forward the name of a man who represents the best of honesty, integrity, decency, uncanny wisdom and understanding. As chairman of the Republican Conference, I`m directed by the unanimous vote of that conference to present for election to the office of speaker of the House of Representatives for the 110th Congress, the name of the Honorable John A. Boehner from the state of Ohio.

(APPLAUSE)

KWAME HOLMAN: The vote itself was held in the form of an old- fashioned roll call, a lengthy process in which each member announces his or her vote, and the clerk affirms it.

HOUSE CLERK: Rangel?

REP. CHARLES RANGEL (D), New York: ... that someone born on the streets of Harlem be privileged and honored to cast this historic vote for the distinguished lady from California, the Honorable Nancy Pelosi, for speaker.

(APPLAUSE)

KWAME HOLMAN: Republican Boehner seemed to find the moment funny when his turn to vote came around.

HOUSE CLERK: Boehner?

(LAUGHTER)

Boehner?

KWAME HOLMAN: The vote lasted just more than an hour. And at the end, the 66-year-old California Democrat, entering her 20th year in Congress, had been elected speaker of the House, the first woman ever so honored.

SERGEANT AT ARMS: Madam Clerk, the speaker-elect, Nancy Pelosi, representative from California and of the escort committee (ph).

(APPLAUSE)

KWAME HOLMAN: As is the tradition, the leader of the minority party introduced the incoming speaker, which John Boehner did after some comments about the historic nature of the day.

REP. JOHN BOEHNER: For more than 200 years, the leaders of our government have been democratically elected. And from their ranks, our leaders have always selected a man for the responsibility and honor as serving as speaker of the House. Always, that is, until today.

It is sometimes said the founding fathers would not recognize the government that exists here in Washington today. It has grown in size and scope, far beyond anything they could ever have imagined, much less endorsed or advocated for our future.

But today marks an occasion that I think the founding fathers would view approvingly. And, my fellow Americans, whether you`re a Republican, a Democrat or an independent, today is a cause for celebration.

(APPLAUSE)

KWAME HOLMAN: And then came the historic moment.

REP. JOHN BOEHNER: It`s now my privilege to present the gavel of the United States House of Representatives to the first woman speaker in our history, the gentlelady from California, Nancy Pelosi.

(APPLAUSE)

KWAME HOLMAN: Pelosi talked about what the day meant for her and other women across the country.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), Speaker of the House: And today, I thank my colleagues. By electing me speaker, you have brought us closer to the ideal of equality that is America`s heritage and America`s hope.

This is an historic moment, and I thank the leader for acknowledging it. Thank you, Mr. Boehner.

It`s an historic moment for the Congress. It`s an historic moment for the women of America.

(APPLAUSE)

It is a moment for which we have waited over 200 years.

(APPLAUSE)

Never losing faith, we waited through the many years of struggle to achieve our rights. But women weren`t just waiting; women were working. Never losing faith, we worked to redeem the promise of America: that all men and women are created equal.

(APPLAUSE)

For our daughters and our granddaughters, today we have broken the marble ceiling. For our daughters and our granddaughters now, the sky is the limit. Anything is possible for them.

(APPLAUSE)

KWAME HOLMAN: The speaker-elect finished by advocating a bipartisan approach to future business.

REP. NANCY PELOSI: Let us stand together to move our country forward, seeking common ground for the common good. We have made history; now let us make progress for the American people.

(APPLAUSE)

May God bless our work, and may God bless America.

(APPLAUSE)

KWAME HOLMAN: Pelosi then asked her grandchildren to join her at the chair. And next, keeping with tradition, Michigan Democrat John Dingell, the dean of the House with his 52 years in office, administered the oath to the speaker-elect.

REP. JOHN DINGELL (D), Michigan: If the distinguished gentlewoman from California will please raise your right hand?

Do you solemnly swear that you will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and that you will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, and that you take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that you will faithfully and well discharge the duties of the office upon which you are about to enter, so help you God?

REP. NANCY PELOSI: I do.

KWAME HOLMAN: Then, Speaker Pelosi administered the oath to the other 232 Democrats and 202 Republicans who make up the new House.

REP. NANCY PELOSI: ... on what you are about to enter, so help you God.

MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE: I do.

REP. NANCY PELOSI: Congratulations. You are all now members of the 110th Congress.

(APPLAUSE)

KWAME HOLMAN: The Democrats` 31-seat margin in the House is the largest majority held by either party since Democrats last were in power in 1993. And so today, the first issue Democrats chose to undertake was lobbying and ethics reform, fulfilling their campaign promise to end what they called the "culture of corruption" in Washington.

REP. LOUISE SLAUGHTER (D-NY), Chair, Rules Committee: The body was created to serve as a battleground of ideas, not of checkbooks or backroom deals or deceptions. It was created to serve the people of the United States.

KWAME HOLMAN: The reform package would ban gifts and meals from lobbyists, require pre-approval from the Ethics Committee for travel paid for by outside groups, and prohibit members` use of corporate jets.

It also would guarantee certain rights to the minority party, including adequate notice of meetings and time to review legislation. But many Republicans argued Pelosi already had reneged on her promise to guarantee rights to the minority.

REP. DAVID DREIER (R), California: Unfortunately, this rules package shuts us out from the start. It`s my hope that the promises made will, indeed, be kept. But, Mr. Speaker, this package does not inspire a great deal of hope in that they in any way will.

KWAME HOLMAN: And so the bipartisan spirit that permeated the House ceremonies earlier in the day began to fade, as the two parties got down to legislative business. Votes on the ethics reform package were expected through the evening and tomorrow.

JIM LEHRER: And now two views on the changing of the power in the House, and Margaret Warner reports.

MARGARET WARNER: We`ll hear first from 19-term Democrat Charles Rangel of New York. He`s the new chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. I spoke with him a short time ago, from the Cannon House Office Building.

Congressman Rangel, welcome.

Nancy Pelosi said today she accepted the speaker`s gavel in the spirit of partnership, not partisanship. Is that an opening day hope, or is there a real commitment on the part of Democrats?

REP. CHARLES RANGEL (D), New York: You can`t have a commitment without hope. We think it`s important policy and important politics to work in a bipartisan way.

We cannot have a Democratic program for Social Security, taxes, health care; we`re going to have to work with the Republicans. And it`s in their best interests to work with us. There`s no presidential coattails.

And I heard them today -- I heard Minority Leader Boehner. I`ve talked with Republicans on my committee. I really think that we believe that working together in a bipartisan way is good for our committees, it`s good for the Congress, and I know it`s good for the country.

MARGARET WARNER: Now, as you know, the Republicans are complaining that, despite this pledge on your part, that this first 100-hour agenda of yours, you`re going to push through these major pieces of legislation with no committee hearings and no opportunity for Republican amendments. Why are you doing it that way?

REP. CHARLES RANGEL: Well, I think they have a legitimate complaint. I`m working with the leadership to see that we don`t get caught doing the same thing that the Republicans did. All decisions have not been made, but I do believe that we should have an opportunity to have hearings on these issues within the 100 hours.

MARGARET WARNER: So you`re going to pressure the leadership to change that, then?

REP. CHARLES RANGEL: I`m not that certain that they`ve made this locked in concrete. I`m moving forward in my committee work and with the Republicans believing that there`s no reasons why we shouldn`t have hearings.

MARGARET WARNER: Now, as we`re speaking right now, the House is just embarking on debate about a big rules package and ethics and lobbying reform. Along with the gift and travel ban, there is this transparency for earmarks, where members who put in special spending items have to be identified and say who benefits.

Now, Democrats have used those earmarks a lot, too. Do you have the full support of your membership to essentially put an end to those or expose those?

REP. CHARLES RANGEL: I don`t know why any member that`s asking the taxpayers to fund a project would not be proud to have their name on it. As far as I`m concerned -- and Democrats believe the same thing -- if it`s something that has to be funded in the middle of the night, it`s not worthy of being considered by the House of Representatives.

MARGARET WARNER: So, in other words, yes, you`ve got the Democrats onboard?

REP. CHARLES RANGEL: Well, we haven`t had a vote yet, but there`s -- I can`t see how anyone can vote for secret, silent endorsement of earmarking. It`s wrong.

MARGARET WARNER: Let me ask you about -- a number of the 100-hour items are in your area of expertise, money matters, let`s say, everything from a new pay-as-you-go rule, raising the minimum wage, college loans, ending oil and gas company subsidies, tax subsidies. How much of a fight or on which of those do you expect a fight from House Republicans, Senate Republicans, or the president?

REP. CHARLES RANGEL: We don`t know. I`m working very closely with the ranking member, Jim McCrery. We have not had a committee hearing. We just found out who was going to be on the committees. The members were just sworn in a few hours ago. So I`m a long way away from being in a position to answer your questions.

All I can tell you now is I`m working with the Democratic leadership, I`m working with the Republican leadership on the committee, and those questions demand answers. And I will be in a position to give them to you.

MARGARET WARNER: Of course, the elephant in the room is the Iraq issue. The president is getting ready to make a proposal, as we know, for a, quote, "new way forward" in Iraq. Where are Democrats on this now? I mean, do you have a unified position? And is there much or any support for the idea of a troop surge?

REP. CHARLES RANGEL: That elephant is in America`s living room. And Americans are way ahead of the Congress in being able to demand that we have hearings, that we ask questions as to why we are asking 20,000, 30,000, 40,000 American men and women to get involved in Iraq in a surge.

We will have hearings for the first time. What is a surge? How many people will be in harm`s way with a surge? What`s the additional $100 billion for? What have we done with the last $400 billion? How many of our friends in the area, Egyptians, Saudis, Jordanians, are going to be involved in the so-called surge?

And if the military says we can`t have a military victory, Mr. President, what are we doing there, and how long do we have to be there? Believe me: We don`t have to talk about cutting the funds, impeaching the president. The American community is fed up, and we`ve got to get some answers.

MARGARET WARNER: But the president is still the commander-in-chief.

REP. CHARLES RANGEL: Exactly.

MARGARET WARNER: Yes, if Democrats have taken off the table the idea of holding up funds, what can Democrats really do if they don`t like what the president proposes?

REP. CHARLES RANGEL: I`ve just given you a whole lot of questions that the president has to answer. And let me make it abundantly clear. No president can conduct any war without the support of the American people.

We merely in the House of Representatives reflect them, but the American people have spoken once at the election. And when they come back to the drawer and ask for more money, we`re going to demand more answers.

It`s really not even a partisan thing. I`m embarrassed for the president, my country, the commander-in-chief, the brave men and women that are over there, the people that are being asked to volunteer, not as a Democrat, but as an American. This is a terrible period in our history.

MARGARET WARNER: So, briefly, are you saying that you expect the president to be mindful if, in fact, a majority on the Hill disapprove of his idea?

REP. CHARLES RANGEL: Well, I`m telling you that they will disapprove of his idea, and we can`t stop the chief executive, the commander-in-chief, from saying what he has to say. But he`s going to pay a political toll.

And let me make it clear: There are many, many Republicans, and a lot of Democrats, who believe the Democratic victory was due to the president`s lack of popularity and is responsible for a lot of Republican losses. Now they got just two years with this guy, and I don`t think they`re going to be walking in lock-step to anything that he says about staying the course.

MARGARET WARNER: Congressman Charles Rangel, new chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, thank you.

REP. CHARLES RANGEL: Thank you. Happy New Year.

MARGARET WARNER: Happy New Year to you.

And now to Republican Adam Putnam of Florida, who is beginning his fourth term in the House. He`s the new chairman of the House Republican Conference and joins us live from Capitol Hill.

And, Congressman Putnam, welcome. Thanks for being with us.

Let`s pick up where Charlie Rangel just left off and talk about Iraq. Is he right that Republicans are not necessarily going to be in lock-step with the president on whatever he proposes?

REP. ADAM PUTNAM (R), Florida: Well, he is right, and that`s not a new development. Republicans have never been 100 percent in lock-step. And we even today more fully realize that there`s an independent role for the legislative branch, an independent role for the executive branch.

The president is our commander-in-chief, and we look forward to his recommendations on the new way forward in Iraq. But we owe the American people adequate oversight, adequate investigation, but total support of the men and women in harm`s way.

And I would disagree a little bit with my friend, Charlie Rangel: We`re not embarrassed for our servicemen and women who are in harm`s way.

MARGARET WARNER: But you are saying that you think this very aggressive oversight, even investigations of the conduct of the war and the spending in the war that the Democrats are vowing to have, which Republicans did not have, you think is entirely appropriate?

REP. ADAM PUTNAM: If it is constructive, if it is open and fair, and it is a true search for answers to improve the way we are conducting this war, and the reasons why we are asking Americans to sacrifice for the greater good, then there is an appropriate place for it.

But threats to withhold funding to men and women in the field is not appropriate and is a non-starter, and that does not reflect an open approach to oversight.

MARGARET WARNER: Looking more broadly at the term ahead, how hopeful, how optimistic are you of the possibility of real cooperation between your party and the Democrats?

REP. ADAM PUTNAM: Hope springs eternal.

MARGARET WARNER: I shouldn`t have used that word.

REP. ADAM PUTNAM: And that this is the dawn of a new Congress, and all of us, on both sides of the aisle, are ready to get back to work for the American people.

There are two items on the agenda that I think offer great opportunity for bipartisanship. The president put a marker out yesterday in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal on a balanced budget that he will be submitting to Capitol Hill. That is a major step forward.

It is something that Democratic Chairman Spratt and Speaker Pelosi have indicated are a top priority. It certainly is a top priority for the Republicans in the Congress, and it offers us a way to move forward.

Energy independence is another issue on the agenda where we share common ground in reducing our dependence on nations that are unstable or perhaps openly hostile to our country for fossil fuels, and expanding into renewables, expanding into alternatives, and perhaps using our foreign policy later this summer to do just that.

MARGARET WARNER: Now, are you as upset, concerned -- disappointed was the word you all used yesterday when you had a press conference -- about the fact that this first 100-hour agenda is going to be put through without a lot of committee work, certainly, or Republican amendments?

Or are you reassured, now that the new rules have actually come out, that, in fact, Speaker Pelosi means it when she says you all are going to have greater minority rights than you afforded the Democrats?

REP. ADAM PUTNAM: Well, the rules package offers us the same rights that we offered them for the last 12 years.

I am profoundly disappointed that we will launch this Six for `06 agenda -- and I applaud Chairman Rangel`s call for more hearings, but they`ve rolled out an ambitious schedule for just next week alone to deal with minimum wage, student loans, prescription drugs, their whole agenda, with no committee hearings, no opportunities for half of the Congress to prepare amendments and offer their version.

And my take on the election last November was that, as much as anything, the American people were saying, "You guys need to get your act together and clean up the House, get rid of this bumper-crop of scandals. We want to know that every member of Congress has an equal say and equal opportunity to impact legislation."

And not only are they depriving Republicans of the opportunity to be heard, but they`re depriving talented chairmen like Mr. Rangel of the opportunity to refine these packages. Their agenda is not like the expiration date on a gallon of milk.

There`s no magic to 100 hours. And abandoning minority rights just to hit some arbitrary timetable of 100 hours is setting aside what this institution is all about, in terms of including all sides, all areas of the country, all viewpoints, in making the best possible policy for this nation.

MARGARET WARNER: And you don`t think there`s a bit of a double- standard here in you all complaining about that now?

REP. ADAM PUTNAM: Well, you know, obviously people at home are saying, "Oh, you guys are just complaining about the same stuff the Democrats used to complain about." But they made their whole fall campaign about cleaning up this institution.

There was no "Contract for America." They talked about a culture of corruption and a need to bring in a new approach to governing, a new process for Washington, and what they`ve rolled out is, in fact, a step backwards from where we are.

I`ll tell you something else: I served on the Rules Committee. And in the Rules Committee, you take a lot of tough votes. One of the major steps backwards in the rules package that they have just adopted would allow the Rules Committee to have none of their committee votes recorded.

They`re not available for the public; there`s no accountability in that. And that is a giant leap backwards from their rhetoric and from past practice.

MARGARET WARNER: Congressman Adam Putnam, the new chairman of the House Republican Congress, thank you.

REP. ADAM PUTNAM: Thank you.

(BREAK)

JIM LEHRER: And now to the U.S. Senate, narrowly divided and also new in power. Again to Kwame Holman.

KWAME HOLMAN: The new Senate began its day with an unusual closed- door gathering of the entire membership in the Old Senate Chamber. The meeting was conceived by the new majority and minority leaders, Democrat Harry Reid of Nevada and Republican Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, in an effort to establish a bipartisan ethic at the outset of the new session.

And shortly thereafter, the two stood together and outlined their visions for the legislative session.

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), Senate Majority Leader: Senator McConnell and I believe this is a new day in Washington, that our efforts are going to be to work in a bipartisan basis, in an open fashion, to solve the problems of the American people.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), Senate Minority Leader: This opportunity we had in the Old Senate Chamber was a chance for many of our members to express some of their quiet frustrations, that we get past the level of partisanship that we`ve witnessed in recent years.

KWAME HOLMAN: Reid and McConnell are Senate veterans and masters of their chamber`s intricate rules and legislative tactics, skills that may be tested immediately.

Democrats hold a thin 51-49 majority -- 49 Democrats, 49 Republicans and two Democratic-siding independents, the newly elected Bernard Sanders of Vermont and Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.

Absent from today`s ceremonies was South Dakota Democrat Tim Johnson, who suffered a brain hemorrhage last month and is expected to recuperate for several months before returning to work.

Ten freshmen join the 100-member body: eight Democrats, one Republican, and one independent. Among the new faces: Democrats Sherrod Brown of Ohio; Ben Cardin of Maryland; Bob Casey, Jr., of Pennsylvania; Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota; Claire McCaskill of Missouri; Jon Tester of Montana; James Webb of Virginia; and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island.

Joining them is Republican newcomer Bob Corker of Tennessee and Sanders, the Vermont independent.

Some not-so-new faces returned to the Senate...

RICHARD CHENEY, Vice President of the United States: Please raise your right hand.

KWAME HOLMAN: ... among them, Robert C. Byrd, who begins his record ninth six-year term as president pro tempore of the Senate. Following the swearing-in of the 33 new and returning senators by Vice President Cheney, the newly minted majority leader took the floor.

SEN. HARRY REID: The majority, my party, holds a very slim margin, 51-49. Some may look at this as a composition for gridlock, a recipe for gridlock, but I see this as a unique opportunity.

I guarantee everyone in this chamber -- the American people are hoping that it is a unique opportunity, an opportunity for Democrats, an opportunity for Republicans to debate our differences and seek common ground.

We must turn the page on partisanship and usher in a new era of bipartisan progress.

The president I know wants to accomplish things. I want to accomplish things. And he has to work with us, and we have to work with him, or jointly we do nothing to help our country.

KWAME HOLMAN: Reid then outlined the first 10 bills Senate Democrats will propose for the new session. First up: an ethics reform package that mirrors the effort in the House.

Other priorities include a minimum wage increase, implementation of the 9/11 Commission recommendations, strengthening and rebuilding the military, and reform measures on energy and immigration policy.

Reid`s Republican counterpart, Mitch McConnell, then rose to sound a familiar call for bipartisanship, with one proviso.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL: So I`m eager to work with my colleagues to find bold solutions to big problems, yet on some things I will not yield.

I`ll never agree to proposals that weaken the security of our citizens at home or the capabilities of our Armed Forces abroad. I will never agree to a tax increase on working families or small businesses.

Our economy is strong because of the hard work and enterprise of Americans. We will not undermine that spirit by taxing it. And I will never agree to retreat from our responsibility to confirm qualified judicial nominees.

Bipartisanship, cooperation and accomplishment -- yes, civility, yes - - but we`ll remain true to our principles.

KWAME HOLMAN: Whether bipartisanship can coexist with that adherence to party principle in a body so closely divided will get its first test on Monday, when the Senate begins consideration of its ethics reform package.

(BREAK)

JIM LEHRER: And, finally, some perspective on this day of transition in the United States Congress, and to Judy Woodruff.

JUDY WOODRUFF, NewsHour Special Correspondent: And for that, we`re joined by four former congressional insiders, all of whom are familiar with the promises and the language that accompany each new session of Congress.

John Breaux served 18 years as a Democratic senator from the state of Louisiana. Slade Gorton also served for 18 years as a Republican senator from Washington State. Vic Fazio spent 20 years as a Democratic congressman from California. And Anne Northup, Republican from Kentucky, spent 10 years in the House.

Gentlemen and Ms. Northup, thank you for being with us.

I want to begin by asking you all kind of a basic question: What is your definition of a successful session of Congress? Congressman Breaux? Senator Breaux?

FORMER SEN. JOHN BREAUX (D), Louisiana: Used to be both. I think they started very well. I think that the early indications, both in the House and the Senate, give me great hope that it can be a success.

They`re talking to each other; they`re talking about working together. I think you saw Mitch McConnell said, "We`re not always going to agree, but we`re going to work together."

You`ve got two experienced leaders in the Senate in Mitch McConnell and Harry Reid. And I thought you saw things in the House today where Nancy Pelosi was reaching out to John Boehner, and John Boehner was very kind to her.

I mean, that`s the beginning of a successful Congress.

JUDY WOODRUFF: So your definition is, what, everybody gets along?

JOHN BREAUX: I think that it shouldn`t be personal. I think they can differ on policy, but you shouldn`t make the policy so difficult that you can`t even continue to talk and work together.

I think, in the past, we lost that. I think the House lost it, certainly in the last two years. They didn`t even talk to each other. When I was in the House, a long time ago, Tip O`Neill and Bob Michel used to talk all the time, and they got things done because they talked.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Senator Gorton, Republican, how do you define -- I mean, what`s your idea of a session of Congress where things get done?

FORMER SEN. SLADE GORTON (R), Washington: A successful session of Congress will allow people to state what their differences are, but it will also allow them the ability to compromise those differences.

And if we make major steps forward toward energy independence, if we restore some of the trust in Congress by genuine ethics reforms, if they seriously consider the problems facing Social Security, and if they are able to deal with the most difficult problem of all -- the war in Iraq -- on a relatively bipartisan fashion, that will be a successful Congress.

I think it has started well in the Senate, probably better in the Senate than in the House, simply because the minority has so many more rights. And any attempt to rush a purely partisan agenda, you know, runs into the right of unlimited debate.

And Senators Reid and McConnell are both wise and are both skillful. I believe that the possibility that they will do a good job and do their part toward a successful session is excellent.

I hope the same is true in the House. I do agree with the minority that setting out the first 100 hours without allowing anyone, Republican or Democrat, even to propose an amendment is not in keeping with the kind of bipartisanship we`d like to see.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And I want to get to that in a minute. But before I do, I want to ask all of you that question. Is your measure for what is a successful session of Congress the same as what you just heard from Senator Gorton?

FORMER REP. VIC FAZIO (D), California: I think generally, but every Congress is different. And, of course, when you have divided government in Washington, when you have a Republican president and a Democratic Congress, you probably have different hurdles that you have to get over in order to reach agreement on fundamental needs of the people.

Initially, the Democrats are out to try to show their voting public, the center that joined the Democratic Party and elected them, that they got the message about the needs of the middle class, dealing with everything from gasoline prices, to the need for energy independence, to dealing with those long-neglected minimum wage requirements.

All of those things that will be part of the first 100 hours are important. But beyond that, it`s the immigration issue. It`s the entitlement reform, including Social Security. It`s the issues that we know only get resolved in a bipartisan way.

And I think the president will frankly have an awful lot to say about how successful this Congress will be. And the Democrats, of course, need it to be successful, as they sort of become well-known again to the American people, who have really not seen much from the Democrats until recently.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Congresswoman Northup, you most recently left the Congress. You were there just until, what, a few days ago, literally. Do you see it that way? I mean, as somebody who`s served in this modern Congress, if you will, and yet a Congress that was seen as so bitterly divided along partisan lines?

FORMER REP. ANNE NORTHUP (R), Kentucky: It is bitterly divided, but that doesn`t mean that there can`t be changes. It doesn`t mean that people can`t work in a more open system and more straightforward system, a system where people can work across the aisle, express their differences and their commonalities, and come to a conclusion.

I do worry that the last two years there was a lot of feeling among the Republican majority that everything the other side did was set to set a stage in order to put the Republicans on the defensive, and so there`s a lot of bitterness, underlying bitterness about the last two years that are left that could come and haunt that effort, but I`m hopeful that people who love this country will all come to the conclusion that we can work together and find better solutions.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Given that bitterness, Senator Breaux, that Ms. Northup just cited, why are you as optimistic as it sounded like you were just a minute ago, based on what you`re seeing?

JOHN BREAUX: Because we had an election. I mean, one of the big issues in the election is that the American people were saying, "We want a Congress that works. We want a Congress that doesn`t fight all the time and get nothing done, except blame each over for failure."

So if the members want to get re-elected, and the Democrats want to maintain the majority, and the Republicans want to ever have a chance again of becoming a majority party, they`re going to have to react to what the people were saying.

And that is, we want a cooperative Congress that can get things done and not just fight all the time.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, you know these Democrats. You know so many of them who are still serving. Did they get the message?

JOHN BREAUX: Oh, I think so. I mean, I think clearly -- look in the Senate. I mean, we`re talking about working together in a bipartisan fashion. I think they`re off to a very good start.

I think Nancy Pelosi has reached out to John Boehner. And I think, after they get through the first 100 hours, they`re going to have an open process. And they may be even able to open it up somewhat in this first 100 hours, because they know the American people sent a message. And the message is: Let`s get something done and quit bickering and fighting all of the time.

JUDY WOODRUFF: How much of a problem is it, Senator Gorton? You cited, what, several, and even Charlie Rangel told Margaret Warner a few minutes ago, he agrees that it`s a problem that his Democratic leadership has not opened up for hearings. How much of an obstacle is that going to be?

SLADE GORTON: I hope that it will be a temporary obstacle only. I was very encouraged by the fact that Charlie Rangel was, in part at least, disagreeing with his own speaker, very, very respectfully.

And if that spirit prevails in the House, there`s a real chance to be bipartisan, because really what it means is that there are differences, obviously, among members and between parties. Both sides have to have the opportunity to present their point of view.

And in the Senate, they can pretty much enforce that. And if it turns out that Democrats are allowed by Republicans to bring up their agenda and have it debated, and the Republicans are allowed by Democrats to put forth alternatives and to have their agenda debated, I think you`re likely to have a successful session, because no one will feel shut out of the process.

I do want to say that Vic mentioned an issue that I should have mentioned earlier, and that is, if this Congress can solve the problem of immigration, both in the future and the problems of the millions of people who are here unlawfully at the present time, this Congress could be a success just with that problem solved and very little else. He was right to bring that issue up.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Congressman Fazio, you`ve got an agreement there from a Republican friend of yours. The fact that there is such a thin margin for Democrats in the Senate, and not such a huge margin for Democrats in the House, and the fact that this president relatively unpopular, according to the public opinion polls right now, what effect does that have on the ability of a Congress to get its work done?

VIC FAZIO: Well, obviously, the president`s popularity will affect his ability to move the country one way or the other in whatever issues come to him for approval, for veto. I think he will rediscover his veto pen.

But at the same time, this is a president who wants a legacy. He hasn`t got a very long list of accomplishments, and I do think he will want to, through Hank Paulson, his secretary of the Treasury, reach out to the Congress. I know he`s already done that -- Paulson and Rangel have been meeting -- to see whether there isn`t some common ground that can be found on a whole range of issues.

You know, when we`ve had presidents of one party and the Congress of the other, we`ve accomplished some great things. The original Social Security fix back in the `80s, the tax reform of the mid-`80s, with Reagan on one hand and Tip O`Neill on the other, Bradley, Gephardt, Kemp-Roth.

There are ways in which this Congress can accomplish a great deal, if they`re thinking of the broader goal that both the president and the Congress have of showing the American people that they really can govern.

That`s what the frustration level is all about. And both parties need to understand that, to meet that head-on, they`ve got to compromise and come together on these major issues that have been festering.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Congresswoman Northup, again, you`re the one who most recently left this body. What advice would you give to President Bush, in terms of how he deals with this 110th?

ANNE NORTHUP: Well, I think the president will reach out to all of the leaders on both sides of the aisle, but especially the Democrats that are now in charge, and try to establish some sort of an agenda that will help us deal with the most pressing problems.

Again, I think the sort of residual bitterness -- in all honesty, you know, I arrived in 1996, and I can tell you, until I left several days ago, I mean, the Democrats complained bitterly about the Republicans and how they took control of Congress. They felt like they had been so partisan and created rancor for political reasons.

I think there`s a lot of that feeling that`s left over in the Republicans now with the outcome of the elections. And I hope that Nancy Pelosi -- I`m thrilled, I have to tell you, that there is a woman as a speaker. It does move women ahead. And it`s thrilling, I think, to all of the women that are trying to carry forward.

But I hope that she also can change the manner in which she has led in the past and be more conciliatory. There are other members in the Democrat leadership that are already moving in that direction, but I haven`t seen that from the speaker.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, from your perspective, Senator Breaux, do you agree that she needs to change -- Nancy Pelosi needs to change her approach?

JOHN BREAUX: Oh, I don`t know. I think the election was about change. I think the American people spoke very strongly that they wanted a Democratic House and a Democratic Senate. So, in essence, that`s the big change that we`ve already had.

I think Nancy Pelosi is a veteran. She`s going to know how to work. She has a very unique caucus on the Democratic side. She has the Blue Dog Caucus, of about 44 members. She has the Congressional Black Caucus and Hispanic Caucus. She`s going to have to compromise within her own caucus in order to have and create a majority.

So she`s going to have to work the system as a professional.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And are you saying that hasn`t happened before now?

JOHN BREAUX: Well, we just got -- this is the first day. I mean...

JUDY WOODRUFF: No, but I mean in terms of...

(CROSSTALK)

JOHN BREAUX: And I think there are other signs that are very encouraging. And I think that -- I mean, she`s going to have to work with the Republicans, as well as the Democrats within her own caucus, to create a consensus, to create something that can create a majority.

So I think she`s going to be forced to, and I think she`s certainly capable of creating those type of coalitions to create a majority.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Just quickly, we`ve only got a few minutes left, Senator Gorton, what are the markers that you`re going to look for that determine whether this Congress, this president are going to be able to work together, they`re going to get the people`s business done?

SLADE GORTON: Well, first, in the Senate that I know best, I`m going to look for a Democrat who will succeed to the role that John Breaux himself played.

When he was there, he was the epitome of a bridge-builder. He was willing to listen to people on both sides, and he was willing to try to come up with constructive ideas that brought them together.

That`s necessary, both on the Democratic side and the Republican side. It`s necessary in both houses.

But it is also necessary for the president to recognize what happened in this election and perhaps pay more attention to the views of members of both parties in both houses, if we`re to end up having a successful Congress and a successful next two years.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And, just quickly, do you think he`ll do that?

SLADE GORTON: I think he will. I think he will, because I think he wants to have a legacy. And the only way he`ll have a positive legacy is to have something that he can show that happened and that it will only happen if both parties agree.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Congressman Fazio?

VIC FAZIO: I think Nancy Pelosi is a charming individual. I think she knows what her task is. She`s already begun to reach out to John Boehner. They`re meeting on a regular basis, something that hasn`t occurred for many, many years on the Hill, just to talk about the needs of the members on the calendar.

She`s kept the administrative leadership of the House in place. She`s tried to give transition funding to the people who are losing their jobs today. She understands she`s got to reach out.

And I think that trust will be built day by day, and I know that she intends to use her early months to build back the trust that she needs to have in order to really get people working together again.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Congresswoman Northup, do you give Speaker Pelosi credit for the same things Congressman Fazio was just spelling out there?

ANNE NORTHUP: You know, I do think that, first of all, she`s very intelligent, and she`s very talented, and very articulate. And I think that she understands the process well enough that she will make the adjustments, I hope, that she needs to make.

But I think that she has come into being the speaker much like Newt Gingrich does, by being -- much like Newt Gingrich did, by being very aggressive against the majority party when they were in the minority. And that does leave scars, as we saw with Newt Gingrich.

And if you learn from that lesson, it`s that you have to remake yourself after you become the speaker.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, we are going to leave it there. Representative Anne Northup, Senator Slate Gorton, Representative Vic Fazio, Senator John Breaux, it`s good to see all of you. And we thank you for being with us.

VIC FAZIO: Thank you, Judy.

JOHN BREAUX: Thank you, Judy.

SLADE GORTON: Thank you.

(BREAK)

JIM LEHRER: And, again, the other major developments of this day, besides the new Congress.

President Bush confirmed he will announce his new Iraq strategy next week.

It was widely reported the national intelligence director, John Negroponte, will move to the number-two job at the State Department.

And the price of oil dropped below $56 a barrel, as warm weather cut demand. It`s down 9 percent in two days.

And a correction before we go. For the record, I mistakenly named repeatedly a flag displayed during our live coverage of the Gerald Ford funeral as the flag of the United States Navy. That was wrong.

We`ll see you online and again here tomorrow evening, with Mark Shields and David Brooks, among others. I`m Jim Lehrer. Thank you, and good night.