Inhofe: Obama destroying country, 'but yes, he's charming'

Count Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) among those unconvinced by President Obama's outreach efforts to congressional Republicans.

The Oklahoma lawmaker lashed out at his Republican colleagues for applauding Obama's recent charm offensive, telling radio host Laura Ingraham on Thursday that the GOP should remain skeptical even as the president is reaching out.

 "This is the same guy that is ... over-regulating all of our businesses, he has a war on fossil fuels, he is keeping us from being energy independent, he is defunding the military," Inhofe said.

"So he's destroying this country, but yes he's charming," Inhofe said.

Inhofe skipped Thursday's lunch between Senate Republicans and the president on Capitol Hill, the third congressional visit in as many days for the president. Last week, Obama dined with a group of a dozen Republican senators and invited House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) to lunch at the White House.

Inhofe told Ingraham that he was surprised that the president's "charm" was "still working" on not just his fellow members of Congress, but the American electorate.

"I was one of those who never believed he could be reelected," Inhofe said. "Sure he's charming enough to elected the first time, but once people know that charm cannot overrule his performance in destroying this country, but yeah I guess it's still working."

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