So what Republican ideas, exactly, did Democrats include in that stimulus bill that got no Republican votes in the House yesterday? Oddly enough, the one the White House keeps mentioning was an idea that came from House Minority Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia.

Yes, that Eric Cantor. Otherwise known as, the guy whose job was to make sure no Republicans voted for it.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs has given Cantor credit for suggesting that the spending in the stimulus bill be made as transparent as possible, with all of the details posted on the Internet so the public can track where the money is going. (He just told the same story again at today’s press briefing.)

It doesn’t sound like House Minority Leader John A. Boehner of Ohio is losing any sleep over the fact that no Republicans voted for the stimulus, despite President Obama’s visit to the Hill Tuesday to hear their concerns.

In fact, the memo he just sent out to House Republicans, setting up their three-day retreat that starts today, praises his colleagues for not bucking the party line and casting votes that might allow Obama — and the Democrats — to claim they had achieved bipartisanship.

“When we meet later today at The Homestead, we’ll set to work immediately, building on the unity, common purpose, and common vision that brought us together over the past few weeks and culminated in last night’s vote,” Boehner wrote. “I am proud of our team, and eager to get to work.”

Maybe Obama never really had a chance.