Obama says little at Democrat retreat

CAMBRIDGE, Md., Jan. 22 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama paid only a short visit to his Democratic Party's Maryland retreat, saying he was saving his best thoughts for next week.

Some 130 House Democratic lawmakers and their partners attended the event Friday in Cambridge, Md., where Vice President Joe Biden spoke at length in the afternoon about the U.S. role in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, The Hill reported Saturday.

Obama arrived in the afternoon, stayed about 90 minutes, and didn't give a formal policy speech, The Washington Post reported.

The president is scheduled to make the annual State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, but offered no hints about it at the retreat, The Hill said. He said during a toast he was saving his best lines for the address, the Post said.

Some Democrats are riled over Obama's concessions to Republicans last month extending tax cuts to the wealthy and a repeal of the ban on gays serving openly in the military, The Hill said.