Pelosi weighs in on presidential campaign

The top Democrat in Congress forcefully declared today that her "political gut" tells her that there is no way that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will run together on a so-called dream ticket.

"I do think we will have a dream team," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat and first female speaker, she told reporters on Capitol Hill. "It just won't be those two names."

Pressed to say why she believed that, she replied, "Take it from me, that won't be the ticket."

Pelosi, who has chided both campaigns for attacking each other too aggressively, was asked at the news conference about this week's flare-up on issues of race and gender provoked by Geraldine Ferraro's comment about Obama being where he is partly due to his race. Ferraro stepped down Wednesday from Clinton's national finance committee after the controversy showed no signs of abating after two days.

"Sometimes, in the enthusiasm of all the people you attract to the process, some of the exchange is not at the highest level," Pelosi said. "I think it, by and large, has been and will return to that level."

She added about the comments, "We have to remember how they are perceived by others. And I think that the Clinton campaign moving to -- shall we say -- put some distance, was very important."