WASHINGTON -- Democrats made history on Thursday by electing Rep. Nancy Pelosi as the first woman to be speaker of the House of Representatives.

Pelosi: Video | Podcast | Text

"With today's convening of the 110th Congress, we begin anew," she said in her acceptance speech.

House Republican leader John Boehner handed her the speaker's gavel.

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

Pelosi promised a new era of bipartisanship and she also drew sharp distinctions between the Democrats' and the Bush administration's agendas.

"I congratulate all Members of Congress on their election, especially our new members. The genius of our founders is that every two years, new members bring to this House their spirit of renewal and hope for the American people. This Congress is reinvigorated by your optimism, your idealism, and your commitment to our country. Let us acknowledge your families, whose support has made your leadership possible."

But, she added, "The American people rejected an open-ended obligation to a war without end. Shortly, President Bush will address the nation on the subject of Iraq. It is the responsibility of the president to articulate a new plan for Iraq that makes it clear to the Iraqis that they must defend their own streets and their own security, a plan that promotes stability in the region, and that allows us to responsibly redeploy American forces."

She also sought to burnish her dedication to her family, faith and country.

"My path to the speakership began in Baltimore where my father was mayor. I was raised in a large family that was devoutly Catholic, deeply patriotic, proud of our Italian American heritage, and staunchly Democratic. My parents taught us that public service was a noble calling, and that we had a responsibility to help those in need. My parents worked on the side of the angels and now they are with them," Pelosi said.

New Speaker Plans To Break Barriers

Pelosi, who played a pivotal role in engineering the new Democratic takeover of Congress in last November's mid-term elections, said she looks forward to breaking some old traditions while advancing the Democrats' agenda in the House.

"We will not just break through a glass ceiling, we will break through a marble ceiling," Pelosi said in an interview with The Associated Press. "In more than 200 years of history, there was an established pecking order -- and I cut in line."

Pelosi, 66, began her history-making day running into anti-abortion demonstrators as she went to a prayer service with her husband, Paul, and a daughter at St. Peter's Catholic Church near the Capitol.

"You can't be Catholic and pro-abortion," read one placard. Pelosi and her entourage walked past the small group of protesters without saying anything.

Attending the service with her were Republican leaders that her party put into the minority in the November election: new Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio and Minority Whip Roy Blunt of Missouri.

Also there were new House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland, a one-time Pelosi rival elected by House Democrats to be her No. 2 over her protests, and Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean.

From St. Peter's, Pelosi was heading to brunch with supporters before the House convened at midday with Democrats rejoicing over taking control of Congress after 12 years in the minority.

There were 22 women in the House when Pelosi was first elected to her California district in 1987. There will be a record 71 female representatives when she takes over as speaker, giving women 16 percent of the seats.

As she takes her seat, Americans appear to be offering strong support for some of the Democrats' top goals in Congress in a new Associated Press-AOL News poll.

The survey found overwhelming support for increasing the minimum wage and easing restrictions on buying cheap prescription drugs from other countries.

On a third key issue, 56 percent favor easing restrictions on using federal money for embryonic stem cell research.

But while her agenda may get a thumbs-up, the jury is still out on Nancy Pelosi. Most of those surveyed said they don't know enough about the incoming House speaker to form an opinion.

Along with the minimum wage, prescription drugs and stem cell research, the Democrats also have to grapple with the estimated $100 billion the administration wants to pay for the Iraq war.

Lawmakers may be asked to back a plan that would lift restrictions on deploying reserve troops.

One analyst warned that the Democrats face a delicate balancing act. James Thurber of American University said they'll have to show they can govern in a way that'll help the White House resolve the war. He also warned that they run the risk of going too far in criticizing President George W. Bush.

Bush Says He'll Work With Democrats

On Wednesday, Bush told reporters at the White House that he welcomed the new Democratic leadership.

I'm looking forward to working with them, and so are members of my Cabinet," Bush said. "We've all been entrusted with public office at a momentous time in our nation's history. And together we have important things to do. It's time to set aside politics and focus on the future.

"I've been encouraged by the productive meetings that I've had with many of the new leaders of Congress, people from both parties," Bush said. "I'm hopeful that Republicans and Democrats can find common ground to serve our folks, to do our jobs, to be constructive for our country."

He specifically highlighted a proposal to balance the budget.

"Next month I will submit a five-year budget proposal that will balance the federal budget by 2012," Bush said. "Over the past few years, pro-growth economic policies have generated higher revenues. Together with spending restraint, these policies allowed us to meet our goal of cutting the budget deficit in half three years ahead of schedule. We did so without taxing the working people. We kept taxes low. "

In an opinion piece published in The Wall Street Journal Wednesday, Bush also took on the question of how to handle the Iraq war.

"We can help Iraq defeat the extremists inside and outside of Iraq -- and we can help provide the necessary breathing space for this young government to meet its responsibilities. If democracy fails and the extremists prevail in Iraq, America's enemies will be stronger, more lethal, and emboldened by our defeat. Leaders in both parties understand the stakes in this struggle. We now have the opportunity to build a bipartisan consensus to fight and win the war."