Podesta: Obama-Bush Relationship "Collegial And Cooperative"

Speaking to a gaggle of reporters, John Podesta, the head of Barack Obama's transition effort, denied reports that there was a major disagreement between the President-elect and the current office holder during their meeting in the White House on Monday.

Asked about reports that Obama had rejected President Bush's overtures to include a free trade agreement with Colombia alongside an auto-industry bailout, Podesta called the story "not accurate." In addition, he shot down reports that the Bush team was angry with Obama for leaking this aspect of their conversation.

"While the topic of Colombia came up, there was no quid pro quo in the conversation," Podesta said. "The president did not try to link Colombia to the question of an economic recovery package going forward. ... More broadly, I talked to [current White House Chief of Staff] Mr. Bolten about that this morning, and as I noted earlier, they have been quite cooperative and we will try to be cooperative in return."

Reports of anger within the Bush team over the alleged leaks by Obama broke this morning, first on the Drudge Report. Asked to characterize the relationship between the outgoing the president and the incoming one, Podesta described it as "collegial and cooperative."

Comments

[Bendersky]

For those you who are upset about the supposed leak of information, it stirkes me as more upsetting that Bush may have tried to tie helping out the auto industry to a trade a agreement with Columbia. The implication, of course, is what? If Obama says no, Bush isn't going to do anything to help the car industry? It's one step down from blackmail--Do as I say or the car industry will crash. What a guy.

If it was a leak, I'm glad for it. It tells the current nimrod-in-chief that his games will no longer fly. Man, it will be so good to see him leave office.

[larry278]

OK, Mr Podesta, why did W flub it so badly by having an anonymous 3d party operative tell Matt Drudge that W was poed because BHO had leaked something from their casual, friendly conversation of equals at the White House to the MSM? W must have failed to take his Rx which controls his smirk & prevents him from drooling. Rx's are nasty that way; they require you use them as directed by your physician. W will be out of the public eye after 1/20/09 & W can relax his guard among friends in Tejas.

[MyAudacity]

It's amazing that the Obama camp has managed to campaign without leaks. Managed to make VP selection without leaks, and managed to even have a secret meeting after meeting with the President, and no one still knows whom he met.

Yet, this article infers that the leak came from the Obama Camp. If that is true then it is strategic. Somehow, I don't think this is their "M.O."

We know who Bush talked to before he met with Obama....who did he talk to after he met with Obama, and who has nothing to lose?

[pupbayer]

Does O bama not understand that private conversations are to be kept private...hence, the name "private" conversation. I would think discretion would be an important quality for a president.

[tossytosser]

dont be naive - this was a bush leak

[Robespierre]

Guess the trolls still haven't perfected their cognitive reading skills.

[TivoliEclipse]

The nature of their discussion is intuitive... it does not take a rocket scientist to embellish the obvious. Of course they might talk about the Auto Industry... the rest is gravy. Come on! The MSM made it up! It's a reality-based fantasy and it is not all that imaginative.

[eldominicano]

Bush scored some points with me by saying of the historic election of Mr. Obama that there are a lot of people in America who did not believe they were going to see this day. Even though I think that in the back of his head were the words blacks or African American, at least he didn't say them. Yes, I'm sick and tired of hearing every second people saying Obama the black or African American president. One has to remember that Obama is as black african as white anglo-saxon american. So, let's just call him Mr. Obama, president of the U.S. But then again after Bush finished speaking Wolf Blitzer said Barack Obama, the black president. I guest I have to live with it.

[MIVOTE]

I agree! President, Barack Obama. Color has nothing to do with intelligence as historic as it is.

[myfatherschild]

Iam African American and I share your sentiments. It is great that he is young and innovative and inclusive and brings fresh air to a stale atmosphere. He is the AMERICAN president, for all in the USA.

Besides, I love how he reaches out to young folk of all races.

[Frenchy9]

I agree too. What really is more than "historical" is that an American president --who happens to be African-American - is totally beyond this kind of divisions, and remind them continuously, does not help to improve the unification drive he has started.

[TheIndependenceParty]

I generally favored the Fairness Doctrine. I lived through it. Instead, it might be time to expand the licenses across the AM spectrum. After all, ... when you move past Rush and Bill and Sean, and Michael the Savage, and Laura, ... what do you find but a vast band of linguistic opportunity. Spanish, Russian, Korean, Chineses, Italian, ... I love to hear them on that once treasured band. That was the band I once tuned to hear my favorite 45 RPM's.

I would propose the FCC expand AM Band licensing, cheap and simple to entrepreneurial broadcasters of every stripe, politic and language. Maybe tighten the band a bit, ... drop the wattage to serve local interests. Could cause crowding and might result in intereference, ... but so much the better would be the opportunity to expand the use and purpose of this publicly licensed property.

I only listen to this blowhard and his spawn when I travel to the hinterlands of America. I sometimes listen to ShortWave Radio. I am amazed that almost all we send overseas on SW is a perverse Christian diatribe about the coming Rapture. Tall Towers, ... long wires and small minds.

Ignoring broadcast licenses might seem politically appropriate, ... but the listening proves differently. Around the world and on the AM Band in English language Americans are perceived as Christo-Fascists.

We own the airwaves, we license them, ... and perhaps we need to add more interests to them to express our broad American concerns.

[Gidster]

We used to own the Broadcast TV bands as well, but our government sold them to the cable companies.....

[TheIndependenceParty]

A new "NAFTA" deal for Colombia? Obama needs to understand that every stinking piece of dead meat he picks up as road kill on the way to the White House is liable to stick to him.

Don't touch it or you own it, my dear friend. If you research who the investors will be, and they are part of Bush's Regime, you will be tainted forever by the stench of this dying cabal.

Leave it to rot alongside the road. Should Bush veto a bailout for the Big Three Automakers, ... then so much higher the pile of ashes on his regime's grave.

Shoulda' taken him up on the offer for hand sanitizer.

[Samirah1368]

I read that on Drudge and the story seemed so made up. First off- How many times have we heard something LEAKED from the Obama team? Try I haven't what about you?
Second- those stories seem typical Bush cronies NOT Obama's style at all. Drudge is a dead site. They need anything to stir up something.

[Vermontah]

Wow. Perish the thought that actual truth might filter out to the American public. There you have the entire Bush administration in a neat little nutshell. Use one issue (Colombia) to get leverage on another totally unrelated issue. Use the crisis of middle class Americans as a bargaining chip. Everything's games and politics. Sell out your principals for personal or political gain. And tell no one about it. Lie. And get all testy when someone actually reports the truth of what's going on.

Get out, scum. Get out and shut up. Go away, Bush and all Republicans. You are all collectively bad for our country, you are evil, you are scum. Get out and shut the fuc* up.

GO!

[Emlyn]

I think it is just the Republicans still trying to make trouble.

[Wileynight]

Leaks?--omygod! Call Joe the Plumber, or better yet, G.Gordon Liddy!

[keepacoolhead]

Well I hope Obama will not be overly cordial in investigating the high crimes and misdemeanors of the Bush administration.

[ladydriver]

Oh, yeah!

[luckyoldson]

This wasn't exactly a HUGE LEAK.

Anybody who doesn't already know where Obama and bush stand on these policies needs to read more.

And what difference does any of i make? As soon as Obama is sworn in, he'll reverse hundreds of signing statements from Bush (more by the way than ALL of the Presidents combined), he'll initiate policies that relate to his campaign promises, he'll close Gitmo...and for all intents and purposes, we'll be out of Iraq and Afghanistan within about 12 months.

And George will be back in Crawford...thank God.

[enlightenedrogue]

Didn't I read that Laura had "convinced" him to move to Houston ?

I believe that Crawford was glad to be rid of their idiot.............

[HeresHoping]

I think it's Dallas.

[Hillrick]

Of course it was collegial, Bush may sound like he's trying to get concessions from Obama but he's really looking for immunity.

[polaris12]

You got it! He's scared to death someone may follow up on Bugliosi's proposal to prosecute him for murder. And there are any number of human rights lawyers in different countries just waiting to get a crack at him.

[bluelotus1]

This info is probably very accurate. Obama hoped to help the middle class (like he promised) by assisting the auto industry so as not to lose any more American jobs. Bush, who could care less about the middle class, counter offered by insisting that his Big Business friends be helped by including a free trade agreement.
Bush is looking to help his rich friends once again, before his leaves the white house. Obama told him to take a hike by disclosing the conversation to the American people. I LOVE this man! Obama is not your seedy politician who is out for himself - he is trying to help the average American and giving us a peek inside Bush's wheeling and dealings. Go Obama ... keep exposing these crooks for what they are!!

[polaris12]

Bush has already helped his rich friends with the 700 billion bailout which is going to end up subsidizing extravagant executive pay packages. AIG is already getting more money as it spirals down to bankruptcy and executives party on.