Obama Plans Extended Meeting With Bill Clinton

WASHINGTON — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama plans to lunch with former President Clinton this week in what will be their first extended face-to-face meeting since the bitter primary season.

Obama intends to meet Clinton for a private lunch Thursday at the Clinton Foundation headquarters in New York City, Obama spokesman Bill Burton said Sunday. Obama will be in New York that morning for a memorial ceremony at Ground Zero, where he will appear with Republican presidential rival John McCain to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Clinton extended the invitation after he learned Obama would be in town, Burton said.

Relations between the former president and Obama have been somewhat strained following the heated primary season, in which Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton also sought the presidential nomination. During that time, Bill Clinton repeatedly questioned whether Obama had enough experience to be president compared with his wife.

During his speech at the Democratic National Convention last month, Bill Clinton expressed strong support for Obama's candidacy and made clear he will do what he can to get him elected.

Comments

[ESerafina42]

Obama needs to listen to whatever advice Bill (the only Democrat elected to the presidency in the last 30 years, and the only one elected to a second term since Roosevelt) can give him, and he needs to use the Clintons to the hilt on the campaign trail. Like it or not (and like other people, I think the reports of their animosity have been greatly exaggerated), they need each other and the country needs all three of them as well as Biden pulling together.

[intellifem]

As Ed Rollins wrote in an op ed piece today, Obama made a huge, perhaps fatal, mistake in thinking he could win without Hillary on the ticket. By snubbing the Clintons, he deliberately passed up the ONE opportunity to unify the party.

If he wouldn't take this obvious step and unify the party, why should anyone think that he will unify the country?

His judgment is deeply flawed, imo. He is blinded by his own hype. What a pity.

[XME]

One of the things I like and respect about Obama is that he is capable of thinking through what is the best route to take, and he knows that the best route is to not hold grudges. If you want to try and "bring people together", you must lead by example, and he does this.

[NABNYC]

You're supposed to kneel on the right knee when you kiss the ring. And then don't look up, don't raise your head, until he pats you on the head and says "Are you a sinner, and do you atone?" To which the answer should be "Yes, I am a sinner, and I do atone."

And bring him a nice fat cushion for him to sit on, maybe a box of chocolates, so he can continue doing absolutely nothing except drawing energy and attention away from the effort to take the white house back again. Give me a big fat kiss from me. Not.

[BigLib]

Wonder if Bill served Barry crow?

[TroubleNYC]

Clinton extended the invitation after he learned Obama would be in town, Burton said.

Yet, the MSM is still spinning the "strained relations" issue.

[citizen0227]

McCain/Palin will win

Hillary will be running against Palin in 4 years!!!! Not even a contest!! Go Hillary!!

Obama made the biggest mistake of his life in not begging Hillary to be his 2nd.. even tho she is a 1st !!!

[DocJerome]

I see that you are a new recruit fighting for a lost cause. The GOP is bankrupt on all levels, from top to bottom. Your lack of ideas and inability to think your way out of a paper bag has irrecoverably ruined the brand and half the nit wits subscribing to it's arcane ideology. The division you try to exploit is nonexistent.

Think country, not ideology.

[markkraft]

If Barack Obama loses this election, he will be back in four years, and will gain his party's nomination... those of us who support him -- which is most of the Democratic Party -- will see to it.

[tel8034]

Citizen0227: ....................... We'll see what Hillary is made of now.

She doesn't have to wait for 2012 to go up against Palin .................... She has the opportunity NOW.

Isn't she on the stump for Obama against the McCain/PALIN ticket? ................ What ever she has for Palin she can give to her NOW.

Let's see if Hillary will neutralize Palin NOW...................... Why do we have to wait for 4 years before the battle that you say will happen to begin?

[HC4BO]

Well , color me astonished ...

BUT the people who are raising the hype value of a Palin press interview may be setting up the Republicans for a HUGE gain in voter confidence considering the fact that she is NOT that bad at interviews ...

http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/09/palin_on_cspan.php

Granted she may NOT be good at Foreign Policy but when it comes to Energy and Domestic Issues she seems to know something ...

Personally I have this feeling the whole MSM in America are setting us up for another GOP victory this fall and that is royally pissing me off ...

[HC4BO]

Well , color me astonished ...

BUT the people who are raising the hype value of a Palin press interview may be setting up the Republicans for a HUGE gain in voter confidence considering the fact that she is NOT that bad at interviews ...

http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/09/palin_on_cspan.php

Granted she may NOT be good at Foreign Policy but when it comes to Energy and Domestic Issues she seems to know something ...

Personally I have this feeling the whole MSM in America are setting up for another GOP victory this fall and that is royally pissing me off ...

[barackobama4prez]

Election "08. O B A M A/B I D E N will take back the nation and give it to the people.


Are you doing YOUR part? Scan the list to find out what you can do to help it happen. Send this to all your friends and family.

Visit O b a m a "s website. www.barackobama.com and get involved!

With local meetings (http://my.barackobama.com/page/neighborhood)

Drive voter registration (https://www.voteforchange.com/index_obama.php)

Get out the vote at various local events
(http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/actioncenter)

Learn about the issues to share with friends, colleagues and family
(http://www.barackobama.com/issues/)
(http://www.barackobama.com/learn/meet_barack.php)

Surround yourself with other active O b a m a supporters (http://my.barackobama.com/page/group)

Make calls (http://my.barackobama.com/page/votercontact/details)

Visit Generation O b a m a (http://go.barackobama.com/page/content/gohomepage)

Look at the television ads and speeches happening around the country (http://www.barackobama.com/tv/)

It"s going to take everyone to get involved because the nation is divided!

[Choicematters]

Well said. I've signed up, I'm fired up and ready to go!!

I will be working to go across the border to WI and help us to win that state!!

[trucap]

that is great move by both the former president and the nominee.I think its time to get everyone envolved in the fierce fight against wrongs ,and make sure the nominee of hope and true change win it.

[protagonia]

Caution Barak, Bill is not your ally. He is treacherous, as is Hillary.

[MNmommy]

Brilliant. Maybe O will take your advice, and lose.

[protagonia]

Perhaps you have not seen nor heard the clips of Bill Clinton speaking about Obama's qualifications to be President.

Obama/Biden 08'.

[Wonder11]

Please forward to President Clinton:

Mr. President,

I understand that you are having lunch with Barack Obama later this week and I have a suggestion. His "rising above" approach to engaging McCain won't work! PLEASE tell him about how well the "Kinder, Gentler America" slogan worked for H.K.!! Now is the time to exploit the stupidity that IS a good part of America! Tell him not to overestimate the American Public's capacity for ignorance! HAMMER the Republicans at their own game! He HAS the numbers he just needs the guidance! The Republicans "Elitist" acusations are sour grapes saying, in essence, we don't like him because he's too smart and you shouldn't either. Please concil him well...the future of Democracy depends on it!

Thank You,
Steven M Crosse

[pie8ter]

Amen brother !!!!!

[ella52]

With the Gallup poll showing McCain leading across the country, I hope Obama enlist the help of Bill to frame the argument to the American people. I hope he takes the advice and runs with it. The one thing Bill C. could always do was understand the American worker, the American middle class and their concerns.
H#ll you can't tell me Cheney and Rove are not running the Republican party with all this concentration on one issue politics.
I want to see Obama's campaign telling us they are spending money in the swing states. I live in a totally blue state so all I see is McCain/Palin advertising and I understand. It's okay, but what are they doing elsewhere and why isn't paying off,? What did they do during the Republican Convention last week, and over the weekend? During the DNC, the Republicans were launchinfg a new ad every day.
Come on people lets ratchet this up a notch!!!!

[eladora]

Obama should declare Hillary his health care czar and have a cabinet position created for her. This election is about health care and that needs to be driven home .
Health care, economy, Iraq,
vs
abortion, guns, hockey
which one affects your life?
Come on Obama ----