WASHINGTON - Democrats embraced Rep. Nancy Pelosi as the first woman House speaker in history on Thursday, then quickly snubbed her, selecting Steny Hoyer of Maryland as majority leader against her wishes.

"Let the healing begin," Pelosi, D-Calif., said after Hoyer had eased past her preferred candidate, Rep. John Murtha, a prominent opponent of the war in Iraq. The secret-ballot vote for Hoyer was 149-86. She was chosen by acclamation.

Incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., left, and incoming House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Md., embrace during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 16, 2006 where the new Democratic House leadership was announced. [AP]

Added Hoyer, a 25-year veteran of Congress: "The Republicans need to know, the president needs to know and the country needs to know our caucus is unified today."

Hoyer, Murtha and several other Democrats predicted there would be no lingering effects from the bruising leadership campaign as the party looks ahead to taking control of the House in January after a dozen years in the minority.

Not everyone sounded convinced, though. "It created these tensions that we now have to work on," said Rep. Jose Serrano of New York, a Hoyer supporter.

Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., who backed Murtha, said some members of the rank-and-file had told both rival camps to count them as supporters. "We know who they are," he said, although he later added that many of them were lawmakers whose victories on Nov. 7 gave Democrats their majority.

"If they're freshmen, they get a pass on this one," he said.

Democrats chose their leaders for the next two years as lawmakers in both houses labored to wrap up work for the expiring 109th Congress and look ahead to the 110th, which convenes on Jan. 4.

House Republicans hold elections on Friday, with a two-way race for minority leader.

Rep. John Boehner of Ohio, the current majority leader, faces a challenge from Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana. A third contender, Rep. Joe Barton of Texas, dropped out of the race and endorsed Boehner.

Missouri Rep. Roy Blunt, the incumbent GOP whip, also drew an opponent, Rep. John Shadegg of Arizona.

Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., has decided to step down from leadership in the wake of his party's election defeat.

Pelosi, 66, faced neither challenger nor controversy in her own race to become the Democrats' choice for speaker - and the first woman in history - after four years as party leader.

Her ascension awaits a vote by the full House on Jan. 4, the opening day of the new Congress.

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