The press coverage seems to find the cordiality of Barack Obama’s meeting with George W. Bush interesting. What were they expecting, fist fights ?
President Bush rolled out the red carpet today for his successor, meeting with President-elect Barack Obama in the Oval Office for a talk so private that no one else was in the room.
The White House meeting between the two men followed two years of sharp criticism from Obama about Bush’s tenure in office, and came as Obama and his advisers were preparing to undo administration policies on issues ranging from the war in Iraq to stem cell research.Obama and his wife, Michelle, were greeted warmly by Bush and the current first lady, Laura Bush, at the South Portico about 12 minutes before the Obamas’ scheduled 2 p.m. arrival time. After exchanging pleasantries and meeting the White House’s chief usher in the Diplomatic Reception Room, the men and the women took separate paths.
Bush and Obama strode along the Colonnade for the cameras before disappearing for their private chat inside the Oval Office, which Obama had not previously visited. Laura Bush, meanwhile, was receiving Michelle Obama in the White House residence before taking her on a tour of the quarters where the Obama family will live after the Democratic senator from Illinois is sworn in as president on Jan. 20.
All in all, I would expect this to be a fairly smooth transition, only because it has to be. We’re dealing with an economic crisis and two wars, there’s no time for pettiness.
January 26th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
“George Bush Used Hand Sanitizer Immediately After Shaking Barack Obama’s Hand: Is Bush Germophobic or Racist?” (sodahead.com)
Submitted by Andrew Yu-Jen Wang
B.S., Summa Cum Laude, 1996
Messiah College, Grantham, PA
Lower Merion High School, Ardmore, PA, 1993