Regardless of whether influential members of her party agree with her or not, Speaker Pelosi is sticking to her guns – a move that might prove detrimental if the FISA saga drags on any longer.

Pelosi, today during her press briefing, was asked: “Can you say today that you are 100 percent confident that the inability of Congress to pass the [Protect America Act] or an updated version of FISA is not placing the country at greater risk?”

The Speaker’s response: Yes, I can, 100 percent, or else we would have taken a different course of action.”

Only problem: Even her fellow Democrats say failure to pass Senate FISA bill “could place our national security at undue risk.”

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee: “Let me say something more. What people have to understand around here, that the quality of the intelligence that we are going to be receiving is going to be degraded. Is going to be degraded. It’s already going to be degraded.” (Senate Floor Remarks, 2/14/08)

To make her matters worse, the Blue Dog coalition of Democrats had this to say in a letter to House Leadership:

“We have it within our ability to replace the expiring Protect America Act by passing strong, bipartisan FISA modernization legislation that can be signed into law and we should do so – the consequences of not passing such a measure could place our national security at undue risk.”

It seems as if Speaker Nancy is confident that she knows what’s in the best interest of the United States. 

Time will certainly tell if perhaps she was overconfident.