Obama's Congressional Friends (and Foes)
An impulsive gesture, or planned political theater? You be the judge. Check out Boehner on YouTube on February 13, when he held a stack of papers constituting the 1,100-page stimulus and charged that not a single member of Congress had read the bill as the vote neared. "What happened to the promise that we're going to let the American people see what's in the bill for 48 hours?" he roared, dropping the stack on the floor in disgust. Before long, the YouTube spot had 472,678 viewings.
Boehner, 59, a perpetually tanned golfer and fixture on the talk shows, says that he wants the GOP to be the "party of better solutions." Though he has been a guest at Obama's White House, he's not smitten. "It's better than nothing, but thus far the outreach hasn't extended to working with Republicans on policy," an aide says.
Obama has his fair share of both friends and foes in Congress. Do you agree with our list of Obama's key allies and reliable opponents?