Never waste a crisis, even when it’s a Democrat “civil war.”

Speaker Nancy Pelosi began turning outrage into leverage Wednesday night, carrying a wish list of “asks” into the White House for a meeting meant to defuse tensions between House Democrats and the West Wing. At the top of the list: She wants transfers of campaign cash, fundraising help from the president and first lady and a more visible presence from the White House for House Democrats facing a brutal election cycle. “Pelosi wants to use this to her advantage,” one Democratic insider told POLITICO. It was Day Three of an increasingly public and embarrassing spat between the White House and House Democrats still wounded over press secretary Robert Gibbs’s remarks that Democrats might lose control of the House in the midterm elections. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) says the state of tension along Pennsylvania Avenue is a natural outgrowth of poor message coordination. “If there was better communication with the White House, this wouldn’t have happened,” Pascrell said. But by Wednesday evening, House Democrats were full of demands for their president. “They’re going to press for more surrogate travel on behalf of House Democrats. That obviously starts with the president but also the first lady, [Vice President Joe] Biden and Cabinet officials,” said a Democratic source close to the leadership. Democrats also want “better coordination” from the White House on executive-branch actions, such as when stimulus projects are announced in members’ districts. The quick pivot by Pelosi and House Democrats from victims into supplicants was a classic demonstration of how practiced politicians create opportunity out of crisis. In fact, on Tuesday night, Pelosi was already plotting her strategy for using the episode to extract campaign help from the White House. By Wednesday, she was strategizing with fellow leaders in the Capitol before heading down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House with her wish list.