He can't even win a symbolic victory:

US President Barack Obama has given way to his top Republican foe in the feud over a date to debut a new White House jobs plan to a joint session of Congress.

Obama had requested September 7 for the long-anticipated speech on tackling the country's 9.1 per cent unemployment rate, but will now be delivering the address on September 8.

The change ended a brief but bitter public dispute with John Boehner, the Republican House Speaker, whose support Obama needed to address the extraordinary joint session of Congress when polticians return next week from a month-long break.