Brewer, Obama brace for tense meeting in Oval Office

Three months ago, Jan Brewer was hardly known outside her home state of Arizona. Today, the Republican governor who signed the controversial immigration law will sit in the Oval Office across from President Obama.

The meeting was Brewer's idea -- an attempt, she says, to explain face-to-face her state's frustration with the federal government's failure to secure the border. In an interview with CNN's John King this week, Brewer said her message will be: "we can't -- we can't tolerate it any longer. We cannot tolerate it. America can't tolerate it any longer."

That's not all that different from the language Obama has used in the past, as he's made the case that the nation needs to do more to stop illegal border crossings and crack down on the violence that can spill across.

But the sit-down is sure to be tense, given the president's very public condemnation of the law that Brewer signed. He has called the law, which gives police the power to enforce immigration violations, "misguided" and "misdirected."

And more than that, the president's Justice Department has been reviewing the constitutionality of the law, and could seek to block its implementation next month if they determine it is in violation.

Asked by King what she would say to the president if he told her that Justice plans to try an block the law, Brewer indicated that she's unlikely to back down.

"I would say, well, 'we'll meet you in court,' " Brewer said. "I have a pretty good record of winning in court."

For Obama, the meeting with Brewer -- which the White House says will be totally closed to the press -- offers another chance to advocate for the comprehensive immigration changes he says are painfully necessary.

But it's also a reminder of the potential power of the issue as the nation approaches the midterm elections this fall. Even if the president had wanted to avoid a meeting with the governor, it would have been difficult politically.

Immigration riles up the GOP base but it is a also key issue among a part of the president's constituency. And for some key senators, including Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid, doing something about broad immigration reform may be the key to their reelection campaigns.