That's been my theory. There was some talk that the "stimulus" wasn't exactly what the WH wanted but it was more what Reid/Pelosi wanted. At the time I wondered if it was cover but now I dunno, Obama might be trying to get someone in who is more pliable or wants to send a message.
In any event I think the headline is wrong, this isn't republican generated, from sulking around in the gutter (aka left wing sites) it looks to be the left has been after Nan ever since she said that prosecution of Bush was "off the table". They want her gone or at least the vocal nuts do.
They seem to be really, really miffed about that.
No doubt he would prefer his own handpicked Speaker, not someone who got the job without his help and who owes him nothing. That's why Obama has not weighed in on this--he's letting Nancy hang herself (with a little help from his friends). 'Rat infighting.
I don’t buy the theory that SanFranNan is under assault from the left. I think it was just clumsiness, inexperience and the need to “do something, anything” that lead The Kenyan to start this ball rolling. That SFNan was rolled can be explained with the Theory of Unintended Consequences.