http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0808/12304.html
California Democrat Nancy Pelosi
may be trying to save the planet - but the rank and file in her party increasingly are just trying to save their political hides when it comes to gas prices as
Republicans apply more and more rhetorical muscle.
But what looks like intraparty tension on the surface is part of an intentional strategy in which Pelosi takes the heat on energy policy, while behind
the scenes she's encouraging vulnerable Democrats to express their independence if it helps them politically, according to Democratic aides
on and off Capitol Hill.
Pelosi's gambit rests on one big assumption: that Democrats will own Washington after the election and will
be able to craft a sweeping energy policy that is heavy on conservation and fuel alternatives while allowing for some new oil drilling. Democrats see no need
to make major concessions on energy policy with a party poised to lose seats in both chambers in just three months - even if recess-averse Republicans continue
to pound away on the issue.








