While rank and file Republicans in Congress have been expressing their opposition to President Obama's move to stop deportations of some younger illegal immigrants, GOP leaders in the House and Senate still seem somewhat flummoxed by the issue.
For example, if you go to Speaker John Boehner's web site, you won't find any mention of the illegal immigration matter, which was announced Friday by the Obama Administration.
Instead, Boehner's focus remains jobs and economic issues, as he accused the White House of trying to change the subject away from the troubled economy.
"Let's go back to what's really going on here; the President can't talk about his economic policies," Boehner told reporters.
While Boehner questioned whether Obama's move to end the threat of deportation was constitutional, the Speaker did not come out and condemn the plan, other than to say it would make it more difficult to achieve a comprehensive solution on illegal immigration.
Over on the other side of the Capitol, Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell almost seemed to be wearing a shirt that said, "Ask Mitt Romney."
"I think most of my members are interested in learning what Gov. Romney has to say about this issue," McConnell told reporters outside the Senate chamber, as McConnell seemed to sidestep questions after Tuesday's lunch meeting for Senators.
Outside of leadership circles, the rhetoric was a bit more pointed.
"This end-run around Congress was a direct rebuke to the principle of three co-equal branches of government outlined in our constitution and more broadly, our entire system of laws," said Rep. Ben Quayle (R-AZ), who introduced a bill on Tuesday to block the Obama move.
Meanwhile, 20 Republican Senators sent a letter to the President, noting frustration "that you have intentionally bypassed Congress and the American people."
"Not only is your directive an affront to our system of representative government and the legislative process, but it is an inappropriate use of Executive power," the letter stated.
Still, there were no news conferences and few angry voices for TV and radio, leading to a feeling in the halls of the Capitol that Republicans were still trying to figure out how best to deal with the issue.
It's not going away for right now - it's sure to come up on Thursday when Mitt Romney speaks to a Latino convention in Orlando, Florida - and when President Obama speaks to the same group on Friday.
