As press attention focuses on the Republican battles in Iowa this week and in New Hampshire next week, the Obama administration is trying to make sure that Barack Obama remains in the news and can make his case, while the Republican contenders are beating each other up - but also beating up on him.
That explains the "why are we not surprised" announcement that, with the exception of a payroll tax exemption for another year, an issue on which the Republicans tied themselves up into knots, the administration has a flimsy legislative agenda.
Barack Obama is going to run a Harry Truman type campaign against a Congress that is worse than do-nothing - it is obstructionist and out of touch with America's beleaguered middle-class. At least that is what he will say and few will argue with that contention.
This is the hand that Barack Obama has dealt himself. As he can point to a few domestic accomplishments, it makes sense to try to attribute these failings to Congress. Barack Obama has a low popularity rating for an incumbent president but this rating far outshines the public's esteem for Congress.
In any event, during an election year, a president has less time for the personal lobbying vis-a-vis members of Congress that would be needed to push forward controversial bills. Members of Congress, particularly in swing states, have little incentive to stick their neck out for the president when they are facing the voters in November.
While the attack upon Congress represents Obama's best chance, it is not necessarily a winning hand. Any Republican campaign worth its salt is going to remind the voters that during the first half of his presidency, Barack Obama's party controlled both houses of Congress and things were no better.
As the administration's medical care plan remains highly unpopular with the voters, the Republicans are also going to emphasize that what did happen is that the most controversial aspects of the Obama administration's legislation passed when he had a Congress to his liking.
The low regard for Congress does not discriminate between a Republican-controlled House and Democratic-controlled Senate. If the Obama attack line triggers an anti-incumbent wave, this will play out in the Senate races. This will be to the disadvantage of the Democratic Party which is defending more seats than the Republicans.
Republicans can also try to turn this argument around by citing it as proof of Obama's incompetence, noting that previous presidents, even if their party did not control both houses, did better than Obama in passing their legislative agenda.