Republican leaders to enter address with 'open, not empty' mind

Republicans will approach the president's State of the Union address with "an open mind, not with an empty mind," Rep. Mike Pence, chairman of the House GOP Conference, said Wednesday.

But the caucus' leaders also fired an early warning shot at President Barack Obama's forthcoming policy announcements Wednesday night, including the already contentious reports that he will ask Congress to cap all discretionary spending beginning with next year's budget.

While Pence and other GOP lawmakers at Wednesday morning's press conference seemed to acknowledge that move was a step in the right direction, they signaled it was ultimately too little, too late.

"When you're in a hole, stop digging," said Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), who spoke after Pence.

Hinting at the proposed spending freeze in particular, Blackburn added: "It's not going to be enough to back fill that hole," noting the federal government had to also learn to "live within its means."

Republicans are out in full force this week, trying to play the expectations game ahead of the president's much-anticipated, first State of the Union address. The speech, in which the president is expected to take blame for some shortcomings while pitching new policies, is likely to touch on a wide range of subjects, from the stalled healthcare negotiations to the federal debt.

In addition to casting early doubt on the president's proposed spending freeze, House Republican leaders also took shots at two other reforms Obama could discuss Wednesday night: new immigration legislation and an end to the "Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) policy that prevents gays from openly serving in the military.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs acknowledged Tuesday president would touch on immigration Wednesday night, and he said a DADT repeal was under discussion. While it is unclear what, if anything, Obama might say on both of those issues in his address, House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) seemed to decry both announcements at the press conference Wednesday morning.

"When it comes to immigration, I think most Americans believe when it comes to undocumented workers, the first thing we have to do is secure our borders and enforce our laws," he said. "Until those two things are accomplished, I don't know how you get your arms around what is a very thorny process."

Boehner also decried any attempt to repeal "Don't ask, don't tell," stressing, "Frankly, I think it has worked very well, and we should leave it alone."

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