It’s a simple question. Speaker Boehner has requested a meeting with Obama over his new jobs bill, and Tapper wants to know why Obama hasn’t called the Speaker’s office. After Tapper persists over the fact that Obama has stated over 100 times in the last week that he wants the bill passed, Carney responds with “I didn’t know you were working for the Speaker and his scheduling”.
Tapper did not like that, raising his voice a little as he defending his question as reasonable:
This is your thing now that when a reporter asks a question you impugn whether or not they have a political motive. The President goes out there and says a hundred times “pass this bill”. I’m asking if he’s called the man in charge of passing the bill in the House. It seems like a reasonable question and not one that is Republican motivated!
Carney apologizes but Tapper continues to press him on why the president won’t call Speaker Boehner when he wants the bill passed now.
As an aside, Obama was quoted by the Washington Times last night as saying he really wished Nancy Pelosi was still Speaker:
The president said he longed for the day when House Minority Leader Nancy E. Pelosi, California Democrat, would become Speaker again to support legislation such as the Dream Act.
“I wish I could wave my magic wand,” Mr. Obama said. “Until Nancy Pelosi is speaker again… At the end of the day, I can’t do this all by myself. We’re going to have to get Congress to act. I know Nancy Pelosi’s ready to act. It’s time to stop playing politics.”
Here’s the video:
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