Republicans are assailing President Obama for ducking press conferences -- and presumably tough questions.

Mitt Romney isn't known for his willingness to talk to the press, either, but he did answer questions this week in Miami about his choice of vice president. The Republican National Committee, however, notes that Obama hasn't answered a question from the press corps that covers him in 8 weeks -- since he fielded a few at the G-20 summit in Cabo. 

Reporters asked press secretary Jay Carney about the possiblity of a press conference Wednesday, but he said he had no "scheduling announcements to make."

The RNC notes Obama on his three-day bus tour of Iowa did grant interviews to several Iowa newspapers, a sports radio and top 40 station and People and Entertainment Tonight -- both of whom interviewed the first couple after a campaign appearance in Dubuque.

UPDATE: The RNC notes Obama also had an interview with Iowa's "Big Ken & Colleen" on STAR 102.5 in Des Moines. It archly notes that his interview was between segments on "how to avoid 'fake hair' and Coleen's Hollywood trash."

He talked about his love for the Iowa State Fair -- a constant theme during his three day bus trip across Iowa and noted that he and first lady Michelle Obama were anxious to see their daughters, who've been away at camp for a month.

"We were empty nesters ... and I got to tell you, Michelle and I were getting a little sad, missing them," he said. "The girls would pretend like, 'We miss you too, we miss you too, dad,' but I think they were just having a ball."

In the People and ET interviews, Obama defended remarks that vice president Joe Biden made in Virginia that Republicans have denounced.