House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is throwing cold water on the idea of a “dream ticket” on the Democratic presidential ballot that includes both Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and Barack Obama (Ill.).

“Do you want me to go through a lifetime of political gut?” said Pelosi, who grew up in an intensely political family in Baltimore. “I do think we’ll have a dream team — it just won’t be those two names.”

Pressed for reaction to the remarks of former Rep. Geraldine Ferraro (D-N.Y.), which critics deemed racist, Pelosi said she was not aware of the specifics of what Ferraro had said. But she added, “It’s important that perceptions be understood by the campaigns.”