Post-Partisan Playbook: The New Feel-Good Washington:

President Obama, during his campaign, spoke often of fostering bipartisan coalitions and dismissing the "partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that [have] poisoned our politics for so long," as he said on Election Day. I believe he has made a good faith showing of this promise in the first week of his presidency by agreeing to meet with Congressional Republicans to discuss his stimulus bill. The bill itself finally went into mark-up in the House, meaning relevant bipartisan committees are being allowed to review it and offer "mark-ups" or feedback before it goes to the floor for a vote. This period is also used for heavy lobbying inside Congress and under-radar negotiations. Although I disagree with the heavy handed way Speaker Pelosi dealt with the bill in its formative stages (i.e.: by keeping it inside a very tight, closed inner circle, even seeming to spat with President Obama over the details,) I believe expediency rather demanded it. She is the Speaker of the House after all, and legislative superintendence is certainly within her purview. I'd say Speaker Pelosi is also anxious to appear resurgent, out from under the thumb of the Bush administration, and to cast the 111th Congress in a positive light by quickly shepherding key Democratic platform legislation through.

President Obama for his part, for his part, has already hosted a bipartisan Congressional committee to discuss the bill and has agreed to a future meeting with GOP legislators early next week. Interestingly, some of the media outlets are spinning it as "Obama seeks GOP support," when in fact, the GOP hit the ball to Obama first, as House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) sent a meeting request on Inauguration Day. Interestingly, at the meeting the President already attended, he made a grossly partisan remark; disagreeing with House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA), on a tax issue, the president said, "I won. So I think on that one, I trump you."

I suppose, at the moment anyway, President Obama has no need or reason to be contrite. It makes an interesting contrast, and one that shows his mettle: I'm willing to meet with you, but don't think you can walk all over me. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid already knows all about that, but Obama is "one of their own," versus the House which enjoys quite a bit more autonomy for the most part. Curtailing the House entails both plying Pelosi with ample discretion and dealing with a political body four times the size of the Senate. All signs indicate that the stimulus discussions are going well, in in the spirit of cooperation, which is certainly a breath of fresh air. House Republicans were threatening to stir up quite a bit of rancor if they were shut out, which is fair, to be honest. As John McCain so aptly put it in his concession speech, "And, he will be my President, too." I believe that sentiment is rolling out through the webwork of government, we'll see how long it lasts. But, while it does last, it seems lawmakers on all sides are taking advantage, and for the most part, for the good.