Obama invites top GOPs to White House

President Barack Obama will host a meeting of Democratic and Republican congressional leaders at the White House next week.

The meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, will be the first of the monthly bipartisan huddles that Obama promised during his State of the Union.

It also comes shortly after Obama addressed the House GOP retreat in Baltimore. Together, the events mark a concerted effort by the White House to demonstrate the bipartisanship Obama has been calling for.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said yesterday that Obama would be happy to speak to the Senate GOP caucus as he did with House Republicans. That exchange got testy at times, but Obama went out of his way to praise particular Republicans, such as Rep. Paul Ryan (Wis.) for setting forth serious policy proposals.