--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <no_re...@...> wrote: > > After Meeting With Obama, Republicans Adjust to Newly-torn Assholes > > WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report) - Congressional Republicans emerged > from their unprecedented session with President Barack Obama today > feeling positive about the experience, but still adjusting to their > newly-torn assholes. > > "On the whole, we felt that it was a worthwhile exercise," said House > Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH). "But clearly, each of us left with > twice as many assholes as we went in with." > > Congressional observers had doubted that it was possible for there to be > more assholes in the Republican caucus than there already were, "but the > President proved them wrong," Rep. Boehner said. > The House Minority Leader said that his colleagues were "amenable" to > another session with the President in the future, "but next time it > won't be televised and we won't be there." >
That's not far off the mark: Republicans dismayed by Obama's strong performance, say it was a `mistake' to let cameras roll House Republicans were fired up and ready to go for their conversation with President Obama at their annual retreat today. According to the New York Times, members of the conservative Republican House Conference said they were "itching to quiz the president <http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/29/republicans-ready-to-spar\ -with-obama/?partner=rss&emc=rss> and present their policy ideas rather than listen to another lofty presidential address." Although such sessions generally occur behind closed doors, Republicans agreed to open it up after the White House said it was willing to do so. However, after Obama's strong performance, some Republicans <http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0110/32225.html> are now regretting that decision <http://twitter.com/RussertXM_NBC/status/8380253627> . As Luke Russert reported on MSNBC: RUSSERT: Tom Cole former head of the NRCC, congressman from Oklahoma said, "He scored many points. He did really well." Barack Obama, for an hour and a half, was able to refute every single Republican talking point used against him on the major issues of the day. In essence, it was almost like a debate where he was front and center for the majority of it. One Republican said to me, off the record, behind closed doors: "It was a mistake that we allowed the cameras to roll like that. We should not have done that." Watch it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW9V2chiRCk <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW9V2chiRCk> "Accepting the invitation to speak at the House GOP retreat may turn out to be the smartest decision the White House has made in months <http://politics.theatlantic.com/2010/01/the_moment_president_obama_bega\ n.php> ," writes the Atlantic's Marc Ambinder. "Debating a law professor is kind of foolish the Republican House Caucus has managed to turn Obama's weakness his penchant for nuance into a strength. Plenty of Republicans asked good and probing questions, but Mike Pence, among others, found their arguments simply demolished by the president." Update Ezra Klein sarcastically writes, "Apparently, transparency <http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2010/01/presidents_question\ _time.html> sounds better in press releases than it does in practice." http://thinkprogress.org/2010/01/29/russert-gop-obama/ <http://thinkprogress.org/2010/01/29/russert-gop-obama/>
