WASHINGTON (CNN) -- While incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, has vowed to push through the House Democratic agenda in only 100 legislative hours, new Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, told his colleagues Thursday to expect the Senate to take several months to consider the issues Democrats campaigned on last fall.

"As our founding fathers intended, the Senate will perform its role as the 'cooling saucer' where debate and amendments play a role in forging consensus and compromise."

Saying "it is important to legislate the right way," Reid said nine out of the first ten bills will quickly be assigned to committees "so that our chairmen and chairwomen can do the investigating and legislating necessary to forge consensus and deliver the best results for the American people."

While Reid notes the founding fathers intended the Senate to work slower than the House, the reality is that the Democrats' current one-vote majority in the chamber leaves the new majority leader with no other option.