President Obama met with Senate Republicans today, for over an hour. A fat lot of good it did him.

Actually, the outcome is pretty much what one would expect, given the political climate these days. And by these days, I mean since President Obama was elected by a wide margin and the Party of No filled with panic and resentment:

“He needs to take a Valium before he comes in and talks to Republicans,” Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kansas) told reporters. “He’s pretty thin-skinned.“

Good attitude, Pat. Way to talk about the commander in chief. Let’s think back to 2001-2008 for a minute, shall we? What if the Dems had treated the worst president ever the same way? Would you have uttered similar disrespectful words about him? Even after he invaded a sovereign country illegally? Even after he tortured detainees? Even after he illegally spied on U.S. citizens? Even after he lied us into a fraudulent war? Even after he lost the trust of the whole wide world?

But back to the meeting.  What was the takeaway?

Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.): Testy.”

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.):  A “lively discussion.”

And by lively, he meant testy.

The president: “We had a good, frank discussion on a whole range of issues.”

And by frank, he meant testy.

Robert Gibbs:

“Obviously, there were continued differences on some of these issues. But the president believes that direct dialogue is better than posturing, and he was pleased to have the opportunity to share views with the conference.”

And by continued differences he meant testy.

Brownback said Obama explained and explained that he was “under pressure from his left”.

And President Obama asked for bipartisanship.

Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn. questioned “the audacity” of Obama’s asking for Republican help Tuesday after bipartisan talks on financial reform broke down and his landmark health-care bill passed solely on Democratic votes.

“My question is again: How can you reconcile that duplicity? You say that, but then the big issues have been constructed in such a way to absolutely be partisan,” Corker said. “How can you come in on a Tuesday after [the financial bill vote]? . . . It was odd to me.“

What’s odd to a lot of us is how one party, the GOP, can allow obstructionism to trump democracy, even after the president continues to reach out over and over again. That’s what’s odd to us.

It also makes some of us a little… testy.