Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

Hot Water

Campaign finance experts say Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi may have violated federal law by appearing in a television commercial advocating a response to global warming. Cybercast News reports the ad ran nationwide between mid-April and May 6.

The spot was planned and paid for by Al Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection. It may be a violation of the McCain-Feingold law that Pelosi enthusiastically supported. The law forbids candidates from appearing in ads run by an independent group — and mentioning the candidate's name — within 90 days of an election. Pelosi is on the ballot in the June 3 California primary — less than a month after the last ad ran.

Pelosi's office denied coordinating the ad with Gore's group — another possible violation. The conservative group Judicial Watch will file a complaint to the Federal Election Commission.

Unconventional Wisdom

A man described as an anti-nuclear, 1970s peace activist who opposes subsidies to the oil industry has written a book challenging conventional wisdom about global warming. Lawrence Solomon lays out arguments on both sides — including information that often goes unreported in the mainstream media.

The book is called "The Deniers: The world-renowned scientists who stood up against global warming hysteria, political persecution, and fraud* *And those who are too fearful to do so."

Among its topics, the fact that while some ice is melting at the North Pole, the South Pole is actually getting colder. Solomon also writes that while many scientists believe the sun plays a part in climate change, the U.N.'s global warming panel refuses to even consider it.