Maybe not but, hey, it’s a start.

As Michelle Malkin says, good for all of them.

I also agree with the esteemed Ms. M that there is no way in hell this would have happened if Martha Coakley was going to be the next Senator from Massachusetts.

Honestly, today’s meeting between President Obama and members of the House GOP wasn’t nearly as awful as I thought it would be. I watched some of the beginning and some of the end, getting a run in during the middle (I knew I’d have the time with that many politicians in one room, all trying to make a point). Here are some quick observations about the kind of thing I wouldn’t mind seeing more of.

The president spoke of getting away from talking points and paying closer attention to how politicians spoke about one another in public. He also mentioned that the media prefers to report about red meat than platitudes. All are valid points. My fervent hope is that the president will review video of these remarks the next time he is preparing for a town hall packed with fawning Democratic plants. There’s a bit of “walk the talk” that needs to be done here before I can start cheering but I’m in an uncharacteristic benefit-of-the-doubt mood today.

While going over the common ground he and the GOP supposedly share on health care reform, he brought up his willingness to look at tort reform as part of an overhaul. He did bring this up on more than one occasion early on in the process. I’m a bit skeptical of his assertion that he didn’t get many nibbles from the Republicans on the matter but I also don’t remember many of them publicly holding him to it. Health care reform without a tort reform component is pure folly and it would behoove the GOP to keep reminding the president of his position.

That, however, is a huge part of this problem. The Republicans who were meeting with the president today are, for the most part, the Titanic crew that got us into this minority. Forgive my ability to remember more than twelve months back but I can’t take any of them seriously when they stomp their feet about egregious spending.

GOP leadership has whined incessantly (and rightfully) about being shut out of the negotiations. Given their lack of spending restraint in recent years, who can guarantee that they would behave responsibly if given a greater voice? Let’s just say I’m in the “Cone of Dubious” on that one. I can easily envision Democratic leadership passing out earmarks and sweetheart deals to many of the current crop of Republicans and seeing nothing but tail-wagging enthusiasm. That smell from the back of the room is John Boehner still burping up his crap sandwich almost a year and a half later.

As a registered Republican and an active Tea Party guy, I am not overcome by warm feelings when thinking about ANY politician who has been spending tax payer money as if it’s theirs. I know we can’t replace everybody at once but it’s a nice fantasy to get one through the day.

The biggest problem in Washington was mentioned often during this meeting and dodged by President Obama. There are, actually, many reasonable and sane people in Washington, D.C.

The Speaker of the House is not one of them.

Time and again, Republicans complained of being stonewalled by the frightening visage of the Botox Hag. The president didn’t really promise to try and do something about Pelosi, confirming my suspicion that everyone in Washington is terrified of her.

This could, of course, be a calculated ploy by Mr. Obama. He shows up, gives the “Why can’t we all just get along?” speech to the bitter-clingers then tosses the heavy partisan lifting to the Hound of Hell. If When she undoes all of his goodwill, he can simply throw up his hands and shrug, giving a sheepish “I can’t control her” grin and he’s off the hook.

It’s difficult to say how all of this will play out. All I know is that I would much rather see the president meeting on camera with the GOP (thus holding them all accountable) than meeting with the Democrats and union leaders in an undisclosed, cash-hemorrhaging, location.