WASHINGTON – Forget the U.S. Open. This will be the Oval Office Open.
President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner head out for a much-anticipated game of golf tomorrow.
It isn’t clear who will win the "golf summit," but the camaraderie might possibly breath some fresh air into a relationship that has had its share of swings and misses.
Obama, who makes regular treks to the links at Andrews Air Force Base, usually accompanied by three staffers, is making good on longstanding invitation that Boehner has been awaiting.
Boehner, the Ohio Republican who sometimes plays Obama’s nemesis in Congress but also can help deliver a critical budget deal, is himself a consummate player.
Obama is no slouch, but has been upping his practice regimen since moving away from basketball as his primary leisure activity, logging more than 70 rounds as president.
Boehner has a handicap of between five and eight, according to Golf Digest, though the true proof of his proficiency lies in his perpetual tan.
The magazine puts Obama’s handicap as between 16 and 24, though the aura of the presidency can sometimes lead opponents to slice.
Asked to confirm Obama’s handicap, White House press secretary Jay Carney joked: "That's classified."
"Boehner's a much better golfer than I am, so I'm expecting him to give me some strokes," Obama told ABC.
"The President doesn't stand a chance," Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-Calif.) told Politico.
Each has something to lose or gain. Obama, known as a fierce competitor, could get humiliated on the course but gets to look like he’s reaching out to an opponent. Boehner has to worry about more than his scorecard: Tea Party Republicans will skewer him if he gets too chummy with the president.
Rounding out the foursome is Vice President Joe Biden and Ohio Gov. John Kasich. As of today’s tee time, none had an approval rating above 50 percent.
Obama was losing to the generic Republican candidate by 44-39 in the latest Gallup poll today.
The president didn’t have public events today. He visited wounded service members at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in D.C.