Hiding The Real News in Today's Washington Post on Pelosi, Prices

The really interesting stories in today's Washington Post are hiding off the front pages. On page A-23 (and not even the TOP of A-23) is the Dan Balz story "Pelosi Hails Democrats' Diverse War Stances." That's a sunny way of saying again, "Democrats Have No Iraq Plan." Balz begins his summary of a Pelosi sit-down with the Post:

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said yesterday that Democrats should not seek a unified position on an exit strategy in Iraq, calling the war a matter of individual conscience and saying differing positions within the caucus are a source of strength for the party.

Pelosi said Democrats will produce an issue agenda for the 2006 elections but it will not include a position on Iraq. There is consensus within the party that President Bush has mismanaged the war and that a new course is needed, but House Democrats should be free to take individual positions, she said.

This is not exactly a Newt Gingrich unified "Contract with America" approach to electing a Democratic majority. Meanwhile, the news that prices dropped dramatically, the biggest plunge in 56 years, driven by plunging oil and gas prices, was reported by Nell Henderson -- on page D-3. Not D-1, where many economic indicator stories appear, but D-3. It's another funny placement of the good economic news.