Obama: 'Has To Be Some Give' from GOP for Bipartisanship

(Dow Jones Newswires) – President Barack Obama said Tuesday U.S. policy makers should be able to reach a bipartisan consensus on high-profile issues such as health care and energy, but only if Republicans are really willing to negotiate.

"Bipartisanship can't be that I agree to all the things that they believe in or want and they agree to none of the things that I want," Obama said in a surprise appearance before the White House press corps Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with congressional leaders, including Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Harry Reid (D-NV), Obama said he was open to GOP proposals on issues such as health care.

"I'm willing to move off some of the preferences of my party to meet them halfway, but there has to be some give on their side as well," he said.

Obama also made a pitch for both parties to agree on legislation to boost employment growth. Expressing optimism that business owners will "start hiring at a more rapid clip" as the economic situation improves, he said he was optimistic that lawmakers could move quickly to act on job-creation proposals.

"We ought to be able to agree on providing small businesses with additional tax credits and much-needed lines of credit," he said. "And we ought to agree on investments in crumbling roads and bridges, and we should agree on tax breaks for making homes more energy efficient, all of which will put more Americans to work."

Obama also said the U.S. and international community could move quickly to place sanctions on Iran for not suspending its nuclear program. He said the U.S. has "bent over backwards" to give Iran the ability to meet international expectations, to no avail. He said the next step will be a regime of sanctions that could be developed over the next few weeks.