Friendly Obama-Boehner golf game has high stakes

A friendly round of golf between President Barack Obama and Republican leader John Boehner has unusually high stakes, since any positive sentiment it yields may help lead to a debt deal.

Obama and Boehner, speaker of the House of Representatives, began their first golf outing on Saturday morning under sunny skies at the Andrews military base in Maryland.

The two have a respectful working relationship but lack a personal rapport, reflecting entrenched differences between their parties on budgets and borrowing that have raised market fears about a possible US default.

Aides said the outing was a chance to get to know each other better and possibly set up a scenario where Obama's Democrats and Republicans can find an agreement to raise the $14.3 trillion limit on the nation's debt.

"This is an opportunity that I think has value beyond the game," White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Friday.

"It may move you a little bit closer toward the kind of compromise that we need to get the things done that the US people expect us to get done," he said. "If it takes a few hours out on the golf course to help that process, I think it's a worthwhile thing to do."

Without a deal to allow the nation to issue more debt, the Treasury Department has warned the government will begin defaulting on obligations on August 2.

Obama and Boehner were joined on the course by Vice President Joe Biden and Ohio Republican Governor John Kasich, an expert on federal financial matters and a friend of the speaker.

Boehner spokesman Brendan Buck acknowledged that debt and deficits would likely be discussed on the green but said tough decisions on spending cuts would be left for lawmakers.

"I imagine that they will chat about some policy issues but I would try to separate this round of golf from any type of serious negotiating session," Buck said. "It's mainly an opportunity to have a social outing and play some golf."

US presidents have played golf with friends and foes for years. Lyndon Johnson rounded up votes for the 1965 Civil Rights Act on the golf course while Bill Clinton often used the game to negotiate with allies and opponents.

But Obama, who has played more than 60 rounds of golf since becoming president, has rarely used the game as a means of politicking, preferring to play with friends.