Obama in the House

Only two days after his state of the union, Obama met with House Republicans to discuss areas of partisan conflict, saying, "I'm a big believe not just in the value of a loyal opposition, but in its necessity." He fielded questions about health care refrom, economic policy, and who is really to blame for the rise in partisan politics. In a rare occurence for American politics, the president debated with a stiff opposition for an hour and a half, even directly engaging Republican leaders. Seldom are events such as this made public and Republican strategists were concerned that televising the event might give Obama the upper hand- considering his skill in such situations. However, even in a toxic political climate, the debate was substantive and civil. Though neither side acquiesced much in terms of policy, both reaffirmed their commitment to working together in the coming years. Obama plans to hold monthly meetings with Republican and Democratic leaders to work through issues and incorporate both sides in developing solutions.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/29/obama-house-repulicans-debate-their-division

C-SPAN has the meeting archived:
http://www.c-span.org/