Time will tell if Washington politicians will listen to the call for change made by voters in November's election. If Day 1 of the 110th Congress is any indication, they seem to get it.

In historic form, the Democrats took over the reins by handing the gavel to Rep. Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco — the first woman ever to be voted speaker of the House. Pelosi accepted her role "in the spirit of partnership, not partisanship." After 12 years of division and gridlock, it was a clear call for unity.

Pelosi's sentiments echoed a spirit of cooperation displayed by President Bush in a Wall Street Journal editorial the day before.

Bush, whose lame duck status has only been accentuated by the Democratic shift in Congress, talked about his hopes that after these next two years the American people will say "we used our time well."

Indeed, the time will be used well if the bipartisan calls are matched by real bipartisan action. Given the potentially divisive issues they will face in the first days of session, the time for Congress to prove it can put the partisan bickering aside is now.

Among the challenges they will face:

In his Wall Street Journal piece, the president called for no new taxes and for permanent tax cuts. Sounds good, but how can he also press for increased war spending and a call for balancing the federal budget by 2012 at the same time?

Balancing the budget and curbing government spending was a challenge for President Bush, even under Republican control. It could be even more difficult under the Democrats.

Meanwhile, Democrats are calling for an aggressive agenda that includes raising the minimum wage, stem-cell research, price controls on prescription drugs and reform on ethics. These have all proven to be hot-button political issues and will require true bipartisan effort if there's any hope of moving ahead.

The Democrats have set the first 100 hours as the benchmark for change. Let's hope it's a change for the better.