Pelosi: 'I Am Not Giving the Gavel Away to Anyone'

Newly minted author Nancy Pelosi launched her book tour this week, and one of the first stops is a sit-down with Politico. Of her hard-nosed blockade of GOP attempts to authorize offshore drilling, she says, “I’m trying to save the planet. I will not have this debate trivialized by their excuse for their failed policy.”

In a wide-ranging interview, Pelosi says she is dealing with “people who don’t want to give health care to poor little children.” She recently laid claim to pulling President Bush’s “chestnuts out of the fire” by rescuing the mortgage bill after Republican defections. And, as if it weren’t apparent, she concludes, “I am not giving the gavel away to anyone.” (More Nancy Pelosi stories.)