Obama Stands Up to The GOP!!

SF CHRON - JAN. 29, 2010

Republican Rep. Jeb Hensarling has a reputation as a hard-edged partisan with an abrasive streak that sometimes rubs people, particularly Democrats, the wrong way.

Rep. Jeb Hensarling: Mister Congeniality he ain't.

Well, today, he rubbed President Obama the wrong way.

At the end of a mostly polite question-and-answer session between the president and House Republicans today in Baltimore, the Texas Republican ticked off Obama when, rather than asking a question, he launched a partisan soliloquy against government spending and debt.

"Jim, I know there's a question in there," the president said, interrupting the man he three times called "Jim" rather than "Jeb."

Obama said that Hensarling's harsh attacks — and faulty command of facts — were a large part of the reason why Washington politics is so polarized.

"The whole question was structured as a talking point to run a campaign," Obama told the House Republicans.

The president took exception to two "facts" cited by Hensarling: that the federal deficit each month is as large as it was in the year before Obama took office and that the federal debt would triple over the next decade.

"That's factually just not true and you know it's not true," Obama said.

The president was the guest of House Republican leaders at the congressional GOP issues conference about 40 miles north of the nation's capital. Hensarling, a prominent critic of federal spending who refuses to take government earmarks for his district, was the final questioner at a lively but generally affable session.

Their exchange began tensely when Obama pointed to Hensarling and said, "Jim is going to wrap things up."

"Jeb, Mister President," Hensarling corrected, tartly.

He then launched a critique of the "unconscionable debt" the Obama administration was piling on their "small children."

Hensarling accused Democrats of ignoring Republicans' input on budget issues in 2009 and dismissed Obama's economic stimulus package as bad for the economy.

"Many of us believe it's part of the problem and not part of the solution," he said.

Obama shook his head at some of the budget claims made by Hensarling and eventually interrupted his conservative critic.

"Jim, I know there's a question in there," he needled.

When Hensarling finished his speech, Obama spent nearly as much time talking about his tone than the substance of his comments.

"The point is, at what point can we have a serious (discussion)...in which we're not simply trying to position ourselves politically?" he asked.

The president said that the White House and Congress are "not going to be able to do anything" if the political discourse is dominated by claims that "the other party is being irresponsible."

"We can't start off by figuring out (a) who's to blame and (b) how we can make the American people fear the other side," he said.

After the retreat, Hensarling was diplomatic in his comments about the president but steadfast in defense of his facts.

"I stand by what I said," he declared.

But he praised Obama for his willingness to reach out to the GOP rank-and-file, something he says House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, has not done.

"I have great respect for President Obama," said Hensarling. "I am grateful he chose to address the House Republicans - and I give him credit for accepting our invitation. But, again, he didn't answer my specific question on whether he would continue us on a path to tripling the national debt and increasing government spending to 24.5 percent of the economy."

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/nov05election/detail?entry_id=56294&tsp=1#ixzz0e3ClswA1