"There are groups in the House and Senate working together to get this done," he said, "and when he does things like this, it makes it much more difficult to do that. And that's why I think this particular move - very counterproductive."

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., another lawmaker involved in the bipartisan congressional immigration talks, agreed, saying the leaked plan "raises the question that many of us continue to wonder about: Does the president really want a result, or does he want another cudgel to beat up Republicans?"

McCain complained that the president "has had no communication with Republicans on the issue, unlike the previous four presidents that I've dealt with."

But despite the grousing from congressional Republicans about the leaked proposal, they can't say they didn't see it coming: In his Las Vegas speech, the president made it clear that he would submit his own proposal if Congress proved unable to reach an agreement. "If Congress is unable to move forward in a timely fashion," he said, "I will send up a bill based on my proposal and insist that they vote on it right away."