Hopes for a political thaw sprout in wintry Washington<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/hopes-political-thaw-sprout-wintry-washington-232536495--business.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/Licc8HFDfyJN3aS51ZRlSg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2013-03-06T232536Z_1_CBRE9251T2Z00_RTROPTP_2_OBAMA.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="U.S. President Barack Obama walks at the White House in Washington before visiting wounded military personnel in Maryland" align="left" title="U.S. President Barack Obama walks at the White House in Washington before visiting wounded military personnel in Maryland" border="0" /></a>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A winter storm all but closed down Washington on Wednesday, but hopes for a political thaw sprouted across the U.S. capital. In a city gripped by partisan gridlock, President Barack Obama's plans for a private dinner with a small group of Senate Republicans on Wednesday night - and a trip to Capitol Hill next week to speak to their entire caucus - qualified as groundbreaking. ...</p><br clear="all"/>
Source: Hopes for a political thaw sprout in wintry Washington (http://news.yahoo.com/hopes-political-thaw-sprout-wintry-washington-232536495--business.html)