Congressional Democrats, led by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco, succeeded in passing all six pieces of legislation touted in their "First 100 Hours" agenda, and they did so with plenty of time to spare.

Counting only the time Congress was in session, the legislation took under 58 hours to pass. Significant numbers of Republican congress members voted with the Democrats on certain bills, leading some Democrats to characterize the legislative push as a triumph of bipartisanship.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada told Pelosi, "You've made history." He continued to say that, "In its first 100 hours, the new leadership in the House has shown America that Democrats and Republicans can work together to deliver results."

Indeed, an average of 62 Republicans sided with Democrats on each bill. The most bipartisan support of any agenda item was on the College Student Relief Act, aimed at reducing interest rates on student loans, which passed with 124 Republicans in favor. Eighty-four Republicans signed on to a bill raising the federal minimum wage to $7.25. Sixty-eight Republicans voted with the Democrats in favor of implementing all of the remaining 9/11 Commission recommendations on homeland security.

However, some bills were much less popular with the minority party: a bill requiring federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, a bill requiring the Department of Health and Human Services to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies for lower prescription drug prices, and a bill eliminating subsidies for oil companies and investing in renewable energy.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland contrasted the accomplishments of the new Democrat-controlled Congress with the previous Republican-controlled Congress.

"We talked a lot about the 'Do-Nothing' Congress. In the last two weeks, we've seen what a Do-Something, Do-Good Congress can do," said Hoyer.

However, despite claims of bipartisanship, one reason the "100 Hours" agenda passed so quickly was because the Democrats denied the Republican minority the ability to put forward amendments to the bills, a parliamentary maneuver designed to limit debate on the proposed measures.

The passing of all six of their promised agenda items is a victory for House Democrats, but only a partial one according to some Republicans.

"Many of the flawed '100 Hours' bills either face an uphill battle in the Senate or are destined for a veto pen," said House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio.

Though the Democrats' legislation to increase the federal minimum wage will likely pass the Senate and be signed into law, other bills may not fair so well. President Bush has vowed to veto any bill providing federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. Bush has also threatened to veto the bill requiring the Health and Human Services Department to negotiate drug prices.

The "100 Hours" agenda was designed by the Democratic leadership to jump start the new Congress with legislation that would both pass quickly and play to the Democratic base. Though some measures were more symbolic than substantive, the College Student Relief Act will likely be popular with the nation's college students--and their parents--who have seen tuition rates skyrocket over the last several years.