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Republicans in Congress came out swinging today against President Obama's new new multibillion-dollar stimulus and jobs proposals, calling for completely different measures to revive the economy.

"Clearly, the president is trying, yet again, to get Americans back to work... he essentially announced a 'stimulus II' program," House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (Va.) said at a press conference today, CBS News Capitol Hill Producer Jill Jackson reports. However, he added, "I absolutely disagree that we can spend the way out of recession."

Cantor was joined by freshman Republican members of the House today to criticize Mr. Obama's plan. They said it would be more effective to cut the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 25 percent, permanently eliminate the death tax, pass free trade agreements with Panama, Colombia and South Korea, and to reduce the deficit.

The president's proposals today included new spending for infrastructure projects like highways, deeper tax breaks for small businesses and tax incentives for energy-efficient home improvements.

"Instead of passing another big spending bill, we should keep government out of business, keep taxes low and expand trade," said Rep. Lynn Jenkins (Kansas). "It's time to empower entrepreneurs and small businesses instead of the federal government."

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As Abe Lincoln watches, President Obama met with U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry, left, and General Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, in the Oval Office on Monday.

The general and the ambassador are testifying before Congress today on the situation in Afghanistan, while the president shifts his attention to the economy and jobs with a speech at the Brookings Institution.

But the parsing of Mr. Obama's July 2011 timetable for troop withdrawals given during his Afghan war speech last week at West Point continues unabated as Secretary of Defense Robert Gates meets in Kabul with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

During his December 1 speech at West Point, speaking of the addition of 30,000 American soldiers, as well as NATO troops, to the Afghan front to secure the "common security of the world," Mr. Obama said:

"Taken together, these additional American and international troops will allow us to accelerate handing over responsibility to Afghan forces, and allow us to begin the transfer of our forces out of Afghanistan in July of 2011."

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Public support for the war in Afghanistan jumped nine points in the past three weeks, according to a new Quinnipiac poll, showing an increase of support following President Obama's nationally broadcast address laying out his new war strategy.

Mr. Obama plans to address his Afghanistan strategy in Olso this week, when he accepts his Nobel Peace Prize -- a prize most voters say the president does not deserve, according to the Quinnipiac poll.

Fifty-seven percent of American voters said fighting the war in Afghanistan is the right thing to do, while 35 percent said it is not the right thing to do, according to the poll, conducted Dec. 1 through Dec. 6. By contrast, a Nov. 18 Quinnipiac poll showed only 48 percent of Americans said fighting in Afghanistan is the right thing to do. Mr. Obama delivered his address outlining his new strategy on Dec. 1.

The new poll also shows Americans are now split over their approval of Mr. Obama's handling of the war, with 45 percent approving and 45 percent disapproving. His approval rating for the war has increased seven points from the Nov. 18 poll.

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McChrystal: Mission "Undeniably Difficult"
Special Report: Afghanistan

"President Barack Obama's nationally televised speech explaining his policy and troop buildup has worked, at least in the short term, in bolstering support for the war effort and his decisions," Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said in a statement.

Sixty percent of voters said they approve of the president's plan to begin withdrawing troops in July 2011, but 45 percent said they do not believe he will be able to keep that promise.

Meanwhile, 66 percent of voters said Mr. Obama does not deserve the Nobel Peace Prize, which he will receive on Thursday. In fact, the president said himself he did not feel he deserved it.

Updated 1:26 p.m. ET

Below is the transcript of President Obama's speech on the economy and job creation ideas, as delivered at the Brookings Institution in Washington and released by the White House:

Thank you so much, Strobe, for your extraordinary leadership here at Brookings, and thanks to all of you in attendance.

Almost exactly one year ago, on a frigid winter's day, I met with my new economic team at the headquarters of my presidential transition offices in Chicago. And over the course of four hours, my advisors presented an analysis of where the economy at that time stood, accompanied by a chilling set of charts and graphs, predicting where we might end up. It was an unforgettable series of presentations.

Christy Romer -- who's here today -- tapped to head the Council of Economic Advisers, as well as Larry Summers, who I'd chosen to head the National Economic Council, described an imminent downturn comparable in its severity to almost nothing since the 1930s. Tim Geithner, my incoming Treasury Secretary, reported that the financial system, shaken by the subprime crisis, had halted almost all lending, which in turn threatened to pull the broader economy in a downward spiral. Peter Orszag, my incoming Budget Director, closed out the proceedings with an entirely dismal report on the fiscal health of the country, with growing deficits and debt stretching to the horizon. Having concluded that it was too late for me to request a recount -- (laughter) -- I tasked my team with mapping out a plan to tackle the crisis on all fronts.

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In the morning, President Obama and Vice President Biden will receive the Presidential Daily Briefing and the Economic Daily Briefing in the Oval Office. The president will then meet with senior advisers in the Oval Office.

Later, Mr. Obama will deliver remarks on the economy at the Brookings Institution.

In the afternoon, the president and the vice president will have lunch in the Private Dining Room. They will later meet with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the Oval Office.

Here's the Full Schedule from the White House (all times Eastern):

9:30AM: President Obama and Vice President Biden receive the Presidential Daily Briefing

10:00AM: President Obama and Vice President Biden receive the Economic Daily Briefing

10:30AM: President Obama meets with senior advisors

11:15AM: President Obama delivers remarks on the economy

12:10PM: President Obama and Vice President Biden have lunch

1:15PM: President Obama and Vice President Biden meet with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

Politics Today is CBSNews.com's inside look at the key stories driving the day in politics, written by CBS News Political Director Steve Chaggaris:

** Use of leftover bailout funds may be limited by budget rules...

** A set of compromises to replace the public option?...

** Gates says we're in it to "win" it in Afghanistan...

JOBS AND THE ECONOMY: President Obama is set to deliver a speech on the economy today at 11:15am ET at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., where, according to a White House official, he "will announce three key priorities for targeted investment—including a series of steps to help small businesses grow and hire new staff, an additional investment in infrastructure to continue modernizing our highways and railways, bridges and tunnels, airports and seaports and a new program to provide rebates for consumers who retrofit their homes to become more energy efficient.

"We don’t think there is on silver bullet, one plan, one speech or a singular piece of legislation that alone will solve double digit unemployment," the official adds. "And the President’s speech does not represent the totality of our plans for continued economic recovery."

"Obama plans to talk about what he wants to see in the coming weeks and months — chiefly, more Americans in the workplace and fewer on unemployment, which now stands at 10 percent," adds the Associated Press' Philip Elliott. "The White House worked around the clock in recent days to pull together the president's speech."

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Politics Today is CBSNews.com's inside look at the key stories driving the day in politics, written by CBS News Political Director Steve Chaggaris:

** Another public option compromise surfaces...

** Making a profit on TARP...

** World leaders look at the economic side of combating climate change...

PRESIDENT OBAMA: The New York Times' John Harwood ponders, "As Obama's Poll Numbers Fall, Criticism of Multitasking Rises": "President Obama began his week lobbying Democratic senators to unite on an overhaul of the health care system.

"On Tuesday, he will lay out his agenda for creating jobs for the 15 million Americans out of work. Then he travels to Oslo to accept the Nobel Peace Prize, even as he seeks support for sending 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan.

"And next week he heads to Copenhagen in search of a worldwide deal to curb climate change by reducing carbon emissions, with sweeping implications for the American economy.

"Ever since Mr. Obama took office, critics of his leadership style have accused him of tackling too many initiatives at once. That blurs the focus of the White House and Congress, they say, and prevents the president from communicating a clear theme about his agenda to ordinary Americans.

"Now, as Mr. Obama’s approval rating in polls has dwindled to 50 percent or below, that criticism has grown louder."

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In the morning, President Obama and Vice President Biden will receive the Presidential Daily Briefing and the Economic Daily Briefing in the Oval Office. The president will then meet with senior advisers in the Oval Office.

Later, the president and vice president will meet with Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey in the Oval Office, which is to be followed with a working lunch in the Cabinet Room.

In the afternoon, Mr. Obama and Biden will meet with General Stanley McChrystal, Commander, International Security Assistance Force, and United States Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry in the Oval Office.

In the evening, Mr. Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will host a holiday reception for Members of Congress on the State Floor.

Here's the Full Schedule from the White House (all times Eastern):

9:45AM: President Obama and Vice President Biden receive the Presidential Daily Briefing

10:15AM: President Obama and Vice President Biden receive the Economic Daily Briefing

10:45AM: President Obama meets with senior advisors

11:30AM: President Obama and Vice President Biden meet with Prime Minister Erdogan of Turkey

12:15PM: President Obama and Vice President Biden attend working lunch with Prime Minister Erdogan

3:30PM: President Obama and Vice President Biden meet with General McChrystal and Ambassador Eikenberry

7:30PM: President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama host holiday reception for Members of Congress

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After meeting with leaders from India, China and elsewhere, President Obama has decided to change the timing of his appearance at the United Nations climate conference to take place in Copenhagen, Denmark later this month.

The president was scheduled to appear at the climate change summit on Dec. 9, ahead of his trip to Oslo, Norway to accept the Nobel Peace Prize. The summit takes place from Dec. 7 through Dec. 18. Mr. Obama will now attend the end of the conference.

"Based on his conversations with other leaders and the progress that has already been made to give momentum to negotiations, the President believes that continued U.S. leadership can be most productive through his participation at the end of the Copenhagen conference on December 18th rather than on December 9th," the White House said in a statement. "There are still outstanding issues that must be negotiated for an agreement to be reached, but this decision reflects the President's commitment to doing all that he can to pursue a positive outcome."

The United States will have representation in Copenhagen throughout the negotiating process by State Department negotiators and Cabinet officials, the White House said. The officials will highlight ways the U.S. has moved toward a clean energy economy. The House of Representatives passed a climate bill in the summer, but the legislation has stalled in the Senate.

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SCHNECKSVILLE, Pa. - President Obama traveled to the economically hard hit Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania to say, "I know times are tough."

To illustrate his message of commiseration, he suggested that joblessness hits close to home. He told a community college audience in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, "Michelle and I were talking the other day. There are members of our families that are out of work."

Mr. Obama added, "We're not that far removed from struggling to pay bills."

A White House official declined to identify any unemployed relatives of the Obamas except to say, "I don't think they are close close" family members.

Mr. Obama's stop in came as part of his economic tour across the country to discuss job creation.

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Photo: President Obama in Allentown

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Peter Maer is a CBS News White House correspondent. You can read more of his posts in Hotsheet here.