Uncle Steny 'In A Way' Over GOP's Postponement Of White House Visit

A leading House Democrat on Thursday said he was "disappointed" that Republican leaders rejected President Obama's invitation to meet at the White House this week.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said the snub sends the wrong signal following elections in which voters seemed to be calling for more bipartisan cooperation in Washington.

The Maryland Democrat said accepting such invitations "is not only respectful of the president of the United States, but it also furthers the ability to solve the problems confronting our country."

Two days after the Democrats were trounced in the midterm elections, Obama scheduled a meeting with leaders of both parties to discuss a way forward in light of the recent power shift.

"The American people don't want us just standing still," Obama said at the time. "They don't want us engaged in gridlock."

That gathering was scheduled for Nov. 18, but GOP leaders this week said "scheduling issues" would prevent them from attending. They've postponed the meeting until Nov. 30, when Congress returns to Washington following next week's Thanksgiving recess.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said they agreed to move the meeting after exchanging phone calls with GOP leaders.

"We agreed that it was inconvenient to have the meeting when we originally set it," Gibbs said. "We moved it to a different date."

Hoyer told reporters on Thursday he could "never remember an instance" when President George W. Bush asked Democratic leaders to the White House "that we did not accommodate our schedule to that request."      More here