President-elect Barack Obama begins his promised outreach to Congressional Republicans on Thursday, dispatching his incoming chief of staff, Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), to meet with House and Senate GOP leaders. Emanuel will gather with the Senate GOP leadership and with incoming House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence (Ind.) and incoming House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (Va.), according to an Obama aide. “We expect to meet with the House GOP caucus at some point in the coming weeks; it’s a matter of scheduling,” the aide added. According to a statement from the campaign, Thursday’s meetings are intended “to discuss how to best work together” and ensure Republicans “know that the White House will be open at all times for them.”