Pelosi to put her foot down

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a Politico article published to day says that she is committed to not let Rahm Emanuel, Obama's chief of staff, and Obama himself dictate policy to rank and file Democrats in The House.
From the article:

"In talks with Emanuel and others, sources say, Pelosi has “set parameters” for what she wants from Barack Obama and his White House staff — no surprises, and no backdoor efforts to go around her and other Democratic leaders by cutting deals with moderate New Democrats or conservative Blue Dogs.

Specifically, Pelosi has told Emanuel that she wants to know when representatives of the incoming administration have any contact with her rank-and-file Democrats — and why, sources say."

This is a good thing obviously, as congress is not meant to be a legislative body that just rolls over for the executive branch at every turn, especially for one that shares party affiliations, however, Pelosi remains very unpopular to the majority of Americans and has been accused by many of not standing up to the Bush administration enough on many issues from The Iraq War, to the FISA warantless wiretapping and retroactive immunity bill passed over the summer. It would almost seem silly that she wouldn't seem friendlier to a Democratic White House.
Her unpopularity could continue though if Obama, who's legislative agenda is currently in step with mainstream American opinion and who holds much higher approval ratings then Pelosi, could be seen as having his plans blocked in a power struggle with congress.
Pundits have also said that having Emanuel as his chief of staff was a decision that was made largely due to his negotiating skills on the hill as well as his close ties to both Republican and Democratic lawmakers.
Unclogging congress was one of the premier issues of the '08 campaign, and Obama's first year in office will probably be most largely defined by how well he can maneuver and negotiate with both The House and Senate, as many of the projects he needs approved immediately will be both grand and sweeping in the scope of addressing the nations multiple current crises.