Boehner Asks Obama to Reschedule Jobs Address to Congress

House Speaker John Boehner requested that President Obama hold his jobs address, which Obama wants to deliver next Wednesday, next Thursday instead.

The Speaker's letter didn't mention the brewing controversy over the speech clashing with a previously scheduled Republican presidential debate scheduled on Wednesday night at 8 p.m. EST.

That debate is the first of the post-Labor Day political season, and the first one in which Texas Gov. Rick Perry is set to participate, The Hill reported.

"As your spokesperson today said, there are considerations about the Congressional calendar that must be made prior to scheduling such an extraordinary event," the Speaker wrote.

"With the significant amount of time – typically more than three hours – that is required to allow for a security sweep of the House Chamber before receiving a president, it is my recommendation that your address be held on the following evening, when we can ensure there will be no parliamentary or logistical impediments that might detract from your remarks.

Boehner also noted that the House isn't scheduled to reconvene until 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

"As such, on behalf of the bipartisan leadership and membership of both the House and Senate, I respectfully invite you to address a Joint Session of Congress on Thursday, September 8, 2011 in the House Chamber, at a time that works best for your schedule," Boehner said.

The White House downplayed the scheduling conflict with the GOP debate as just that, an innocent coincidence. The Republican National Committee (RNC) has accused the Obama administration of politicking by scheduling the speech simultaneously with the debate.