The Obama White House asked to address a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, but, for the first time in historical memory, Republican Speaker John Boehner said, "No," explaining that a scheduled vote for that evening allowed no time for a security sweep. But the official schedule shows the votes are on minor matters and could have been delayed. Although the White House denies it, Republicans claim Obama wanted to be on the air at the same time as the latest debate among GOP presidential candidates. Now the President will speak on Thursday, but the incident's being called “childish gamesmanship” and “late-summer silliness.” James Downie is Opinions Editor and producer at the Washington Post.
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