Oilman T. Boone Pickens: Dems' new best friend

Time to roll out the odd bedfellows clichés.

T. Boone Pickens, an oil baron, Bush "Pioneer" and major contributor to the 2004 Swift Boat ads, is speaking before the House Democratic Caucus next Tuesday. At the invitation of Nancy Pelosi.

This announcement comes a day after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) talked about how Pickens was his "mortal enemy" for years due to his support for Republicans. Yet Reid says Pickens is "now his pal" after sitting next to him at a Senate energy hearing this week.

So what's this all about? Pickens is investing up to $300 million in wind energy and Democrats have seized on this maneuver — if the ultimate oilman is putting his fortune into renewable energy then the federal government should be doing more rather than bowing to Republican demands for more oil drilling, Democrats say.

Pickens is investing in the largest wind farm in the world in Texas, and Democrats clearly want to show the public that if a billionaire oil magnate is ready to move on from petroleum, so too should Congress. Pickens even has a website devoted to his new environmental movement.

“While Democrats support drilling in leased areas, his message that we can’t drill our way to energy independence and that we must invest in renewable energy sources dovetails with our vision for energy independence," Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly said.