Obama Requests Joint Session Speech at Same Moment as GOP CA Debate

Petty politics at its best.  Obama has requested to give a speech to a joint session of Congress at exactly the same moment the GOP is scheduled to debate at the Reagan Library.  This will be Rick Perry's first debate appearance.

Speaker John Boehner should just say no.  The president does not have the power to demand an appearance, he must be invited.  Boehner should offer him another time if necessary, but not the time he's requesting.

Obama's plan is simple. Take the attention away from the CA debate, and force NBC to push the debate back so it appears on TV later in the evening when fewer people may be watching.

Very unpresidential, but typical of Obama.

This debate is being hosted by NBC and Politico, neither of which are fans of Republicans.  They may just decide to go ahead at the previously scheduled time and run the debate at the same time as the president's speech, thus killing the debate coverage.  Wouldn't surprise me a bit.

UPDATE:  Here's a good idea:

@Chris_Moody: If Sarah Palin really wanted to shake things up right now, she'd declare a "big announcement" to be made on Sept. 7 at 8:00