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Timeline: Boehner switched gears on approving joint session after radio static

Politico:http://www.politico.com/news/stories...505_Page2.html

At about 10 or 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, White House chief of staff Bill Daley called House Speaker John Boehner and asked that a joint session of Congress be assembled the following Wednesday night. The White House viewed Boehner as a political opponent, but not an enemy and the call was cordial, even pro forma considering such a request had never before been refused.

And, according to the White House source, Boehner said “okay” to Daley’s request for the Wednesday evening date.

Then things quickly unraveled. It turned out not everyone was as sanguine as Boehner with the notion that a Democratic president was going to step on a Republican debate.

At 11:55 a.m. Wednesday, the White House tweeted the news about the joint session. “And then Rush Limbaugh beat Boehner up,” the source said.

The conservative talk show personality was in his familiar state of high dudgeon. “This is a pure campaign speech and to give it the imprimatur of a speech before a joint session of Congress, there’s no way, he doesn’t deserve that,” Limbaugh said. “Boehner’s got to say no. Now, whether he will, I have no clue.”

A number of Republicans in the House and a few in the Senate did have a clue and they told Boehner that while they would allow the joint session – it was hard not to for both historic and political reasons – the timing had to be on their terms, which meant it could not conflict with the Republican debate.

At which point Boehner’s office announced that Boehner had never agreed to the Wednesday date, that Congress did not get back into session until 6:30 p.m. on that day, that various votes had to be taken, that security had to be arranged and Obama should push his speech back a day to Thursday.

Petty political games. Although some on the left are seeing this as the president backing down, given his history of hands-across-the aisle stance since taking office, I understand. Were I to have some words of advice for Pres. Obama, it would be this: the time for a conciliatory approach is over; it is time to take a stand.

How about an executive order repealing DOMA?

How about an executive order prohibiting states from restricting access to abortions?

How about an executive order granting amnesty to certain undocumented aliens in the country?

That should put a burr under some saddles in Congress.

Some of the commentary on the cable stations has leaned in the direction of rubbing the GOP's nose in it. That he should have headed into a local arena and brought in a few thousand local citizens and turned up a barnburner of a speech.

"This is a time of crisis, perhaps the worst economic crisis nearly a century. This is the People's business and I (the President) wanted to bring this message to you in the People's House, but the gatekeepers there have chosen not to allow it. We have work to do. This is not the time for political games...."

He'd have a cheering crowd and own the network coverage and the news cycle and would shame the GOP as childish.

That would work.

The time is ripe for bold moves. Everyone I know is waiting for Pres. Obama to step up and put a smackdown on Rep. Cantor and his minions.

My memory is a little fuzzy, but I recall there was a group that ran for office in 2010 on the platform of, JOBS, JOBS, JOBS, who was that again......

OH ya, the GOP HOUSE MEMBERS, does the speaker realize his approval rating is about 12%, What a jerk.