Democrats get set to face angry GOP, but this time, as the party in charge.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

WASHINGTON _ The abrupt Democratic capture of the Senate means leaders of both parties are now rethinking strategies to determine what, if anything, will get done in the relatively small amount of time left for passing substantial legislation.

Sen. Tom Daschle, the South Dakota Democrat in line to become the new majority leader, already has decided to bring up a patients' bill rights as soon as Congress wraps up its overhaul of education policy.

An increase in the minimum wage likely will follow. Left in the dust of this whirlwind will be President Bush's energy initiative, his proposed missile defense plan and his wish for liberalized trade authority.

But the question confronting leaders on both sides is whether the new Senate atmosphere lends itself to the kind of political compromises needed to rewrite health care regulations or raise wages.

The moment for passing major bills is fleeting. After July, Congress will either be in a long summer recess or preoccupied with negotiating the spending bills that keep government operations running.

Republicans don't sound particularly accommodating, and some Democrats are counseling that rather than cut deals, Daschle should hold firm and highlight the differences between the two parties.

Some conservatives believe Bush' agenda is a lost cause, for now. They say Republicans should work to block Democratic initiatives, offer uncompromising proposals that ignite the party's conservative base and hope that the 2002 elections re-establish GOP power.