Boehner Asks Obama to Reconsider Speech on Night of GOP Debate

Obama's looking to steal spotlight from Perry's coming out party

House Speaker John Boehner is asking President Obama to change his mind about giving a big jobs speech to a joint session of Congress on September 7, which -- whoops! -- just so happens to be the same night Republican 2012 candidates will debate at the Reagan Library. It will be the first debate to feature flashy new frontrunner Rick Perry. Boehner wants Obama to move the speech to the next night, a Thursday, though not because of the debate, but because the House will have just gone into session, with votes set for 6:30p.m., meaning there wouldn't be much time to do a security sweep of the chamber. "We look forward to hearing  your ideas and working together to solve America's jobs crisis," Boehner writes.

The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza writes that there's no way -- despite Obama's press secretary's insistence to the contrary -- that this is an accident. "It’s clear that this White House saw an opportunity to drive a major -- and direct -- contrast between President Obama and his potential Republican rivals and took it," Cillizza writes. Democratic strategists aren't sure it's a good idea, Cillizza reports, but from Boehner's letter, it looks like Republicans don't like it at all.