Brown asked about Pres Obama's state of the union address:

"I thought it was a good first step," said Brown. "And I appreciated
his sort of overtures to have more transparency and move involvement
between the parties."
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By GLEN JOHNSON, AP Political Writer – 1 hr 36 mins ago

BOSTON – Scott Brown says he has already told Senate Republican
leaders they won't always be able to count on his vote.

The man who staged an upset in last week's Massachusetts Senate
special election, in part by pledging to be the 41st GOP vote against
President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, told The Associated
Press in an interview Thursday that he staked his claim in early
conversations with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority
Whip Jon Kyl.

"I already told them, you know, `I got here with the help of a close
group of friends and very little help from anyone down there, so
there'll be issues when I'll be with you and there are issues when I
won't be with you,'" Brown said Thursday during the half-hour
interview. "So, I just need to look at each vote and then make a
proper analysis and then decide."

Asked how McConnell and Kyl responded, Brown said, "They understood.
They said, `You can probably do whatever you want, Scott. And, so,
just let us know where your head's at, and we'll talk it through, and
just keep us posted.'"

The senator-elect did not elaborate on possible breaking points,
though the Washington newcomer dismissed any suggestion he will relent
once he starts working in the highly partisan capital.

"That's not pressure; pressure is what I'm going through right now,"
said Brown. He cited his efforts to complete a transition in 2 1/2
weeks, compared with the normal 2 1/2 months for regularly elected
senators, while preparing to surrender his responsibilities as a state
senator, become a Beltway commuter and resume his triathlon training.

He started Thursday with a one-hour bike ride and 1,500-meter swim.

"I'm trying to do it very well and be balanced and still get my
workouts in," said Brown. "There's nothing wrong with having good
conversation and debating. We do it here in our own caucus, at a
smaller level. ... It's just a different building, really."

Brown beat Democrat Martha Coakley to win the seat held for nearly a
half-century by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. The result rocked both the
Democratic Party and the Obama administration, who viewed the seat as
safe and Coakley as the pivotal 60th vote to preserve a Democratic
supermajority in the Senate.

Obama responded to the voter anger expressed in the election by
retooling his administration's focus from the health care overhaul to
job creation. It was the focus on his State of the Union speech
Wednesday night, which Brown watched.

"I thought it was a good first step," said Brown. "And I appreciated
his sort of overtures to have more transparency and move involvement
between the parties."

Yet the senator-elect said he was concerned some spending controls and
other changes were not projected to take effect until 2011. He called
for an immediate across-the-board tax cut and a reduction in payroll
taxes.

"We need to move now. People are hurting now. The economy is hurting
now," he said.

Brown expects to be sworn in on Feb. 11, after all absentee ballots
are counted and Massachusetts has certified the special election
results. Until then, he is trying to function amid a whirlwind.

His office has been besieged with job seekers. He is meeting next week
with Education Secretary Arne Duncan as he tries to clarify his
legislative priorities. He had to ask a reporter how much his new job
paid; it is $174,000 annually.

Brown also is trying to determine how his election will affect his 30-
year National Guard career.

He said he will most likely be blocked from active duty with his
military legal team, since as a U.S. senator, he would be a more
valuable target for the enemy. Brown is speaking with generals in
Washington about how to best fulfill his responsibilities, which
include duty one weekend per month and two weeks per summer.

"Maybe it's talking to troops, maybe it's working in the Pentagon," he
said. "It's something I've been doing since I've been 19. I don't know
what I'd do without it, to be honest with you."

Brown also said he hopes to use his newfound celebrity to achieve one
personal goal: meet cyclist Lance Armstrong.

"I would love to go on a bike ride with Lance Armstrong, just for
those few hours, just like to say hi, just to like hug him," said
Brown.