Boehner said he and the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) chairman “had a very good meeting on Friday” that came on the heels of other conversations. The GOP leader, who appeared on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” said the talks were “frank and constructive and positive” and affirmed that Cole will stay put.

Cole's future at the NRCC has been the source of intense speculation after Democrats won the special election for now Sen. Roger Wicker's (R-Miss.) seat on Tuesday. Earlier this week, it appeared that Boehner might be leaning toward replacing Cole with retiring Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.). Davis, a former NRCC chairman, prepared a 20-page memo on the GOP's electoral woes that was handed out to House Republicans on Wednesday.

During his "This Week" appearance, Boehner expressed confidence that an energy plan Republicans plan to roll out next week will help convince voters that the GOP “can deliver the change that they want and the change that they deserve.” The proposal kmawill include the need for alternative sources of energy and conservation while also touting the importance of increasing domestic production of oil and gas and stressing the importance of nuclear energy.

Republicans are hoping that consumers will hold Democrats, who took over the majority in Congress at the beginning of last year, accountable for soaring gas prices.

“They’ve done nothing to help us produce more energy here at home,” Boehner said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) office was quick to respond, saying that drilling for more oil in the U.S. is not the answer. In a fact sheet submitted following Boehner’s appearance, the Speaker’s office said he “conveniently forgot the fact that the Republican leaders have routinely opposed legislation to bring relief to families at the pump.”

The GOP leader admitted that the party’s strategy in special elections in Louisiana and most recently in Mississippi to link the Democratic candidates in the races to Pelosi and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) failed.

Boehner expressed confidence that having Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) at the top of the ticket will help other Republicans.

“John McCain appeals to almost all Republicans, a broad swath of independents and conservative Democrats,” he argued.

The Ohio Republican also said that it is up to Rep. Vito Fossella (R-N.Y.) to decide whether to resign from Congress. The lawmaker was arrested for drunk driving at the beginning of the month and later acknowledged that he has been having an affair and fathered an out-of-wedlock daughter.

“This is a very personal issue and I think it's really between Vito, his wife and family, and his constituents,” the GOP leader said. “And I know that he's given an awful lot of thought about this over the last week or so. And he'll come to the right decision, along with his wife and his family.”