Obama, Bush Meeting Again With Ex-Presidents

WASHINGTON — Aiming for the smoothest transition of power he can manage, President George W. Bush is hosting a lunch next month with President-elect Barack Obama and all former presidents, the White House announced Wednesday.

The luncheon is set for Jan. 7.

Former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush will attend, along with Obama.

Bush has made it a priority to provide any assistance Obama and his team need as they prepare to take over on Jan. 20. As his presidency winds down and Obama's gears up, Bush sees it as part of his legacy to make the transfer of power effective and gracious.

Recently, for instance, White House chief of staff Joshua Bolten held a similar event with all the former chiefs of staff to offer advice and camaraderie to Obama's incoming chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel.

White House press secretary Dana Perino said Bush wanted to have Obama to lunch and to meet with the former presidents. She said the gathering will be a chance for them to discuss life in the White House, politics, and domestic and world affairs.

"These men share experiences that no one else can imagine. It will be fabulous to have them all here together," Perino said.

Bush, Carter, Clinton and George H.W. Bush were last together in January 2007, to attend President Gerald Ford's funeral service in Washington.

Comments

[GAPeach99]

Is this is one of the events scheduled for Blair House that was so important they couldn't let the Obama's move in a little early?

[exotic]

Space_Walker I am one of the small few... Nice post.

[USAisEVIL]

An axis of evil. They all wear different masks and they all waged wars against innocent countries in the name of imperialism and profit.

[LetMeUnderstandThis]

Go screw a goat

[babymonster]

Jimmy and Barack should bring some h a n d c u f f s.

[DakotaMinnesota]

Whoo! Chills...

[ChicagoSuz]

This is a Robert Smigel cartoon waiting to happen... ;-)

[AllenD]

"Bush sees it as part of his legacy to make the transfer of power effective and gracious."

That could very well be part of his legacy. Another part of his legacy will be that he is the worst president ever!

[fedupinfla]

Meanwhile he tries to pass as many destructive policies as he can before leaving office that Obama will have to reverse....

Kinda sickening huh???

[vjoseph]

I would have a food taster present

[LauraNo]

Good idea! Better safe than sorry... Also, the only thing Bush hasn't harmed so far, our new POTUS.
What kind of legacy would that be, to leave one stone unturned?

[brooklyncitizen]

Sounds like an intervention...someone's in trouble.

[JamesAndre]

My thoughts exactly.

"Now look here little Georgie..."

http://mentalshift.newsvine.com/

[robllawrence]

I think this is a great idea. It could be a place for the most recent leaders of the free world to discuss the state of the union privately among men who have a unique understanding of the issues. Despite what I think about the choices Bush has made (the others too for that matter) I don't doubt that they each want the country to be well.

[gurukalehuru]

Unfortunately, I doubt that very much.

[exotic]

this is scary......the only sane voice of ex's is Jimmy Carter.
Welcome to daddy Bushes club, the NWO. It does not matter if you are dem or Repub, black or white. Just fall into lockstep.

[vjoseph]

Tinfoil alert

[DakotaMinnesota]

Tinfoil alerter alert

[motoGpifupleez]

Tapping the experience of those who have been there before you, what a neat idea. Shame our current (PLEASE HURRY January 21!) occupant of the White House never sought to avail himself of that asset.

[113]

hopefully all the former presidents and the president-elect will talk insightfully about domestic and foreign policy while Dubya is sitting there bewildered by all the intelligence in the room.

I'm sure the former presidents and the president-elect will basically tell bush to sit down and shutup while the grown ups talk.

[vjoseph]

LOL, that conjure up funny images in my head

[zeotrope]

Well said!!! Very funny.

[LetMeUnderstandThis]

Bush Sr. will have to bring some toys for Curious George to play with on the floor.

[Space Walker]

Opt1musPr1me:
With all due respect, i did not think that i would make much sense to you or the majority, but i know their is a small few that sees my point as clear as crystal. You, myself, and many others are taught to see things one way and view things at a specific vantage point; you are taught to take things at face value and nothing else, you are taught to question nothing and except everything as reality and apart of life. It's like Pavlov and his bell, the dogs were conditioned that when they heard the bell to react and so are majority of the populous. You do not understand the depths of psychological programming. This is the same programming that made many despise Arabs during 9/11 and sign up to the military to defend our freedoms in droves, simply because of emotions and the spin cycle. How about this, when you watch a movie and the sad music starts playing, don't you not feel sad? or try listening to a certain song that gives you a special emotion, that's conditioning. How does this relate to my previous post? here is how? If Bush was not who he is, chances are there would be not President Obama right now. Ask your self this question, if Clinton was leaving office in 2000 and it was Obama and Gore in the primaries, who would you vote for? Nothing is by chance my friend only arranged.

[kmich718]

What is your point? Regardless of your psycho-babble, bottom line is, we did vote for someone totally different (in all aspects - Intelligence, Style, Demeanor,Temperament) from the current office holder.

Your questions are posed for us to look back and ask what if? But that is not how life works! I can look back and say, what if I were taller, or a blonde perhaps. Still wouldn't make me tall and blonde.

So my advice to you is, accept what is not propose what could have been! Join reality -

[kmich718]

P.S. It's "there" not "their".. just saying

[professionaldeadbeat]

space_walker. you have some nerve. how dare you suggest that the "same programming" that makes many despise Arabs during 9/11 (and after, my friend, many despise Obama because they believe he is one) also led to the American electorate to vote Obama. that is a pathetic (at best, painfully cynical at worst) attempt at bolstering your own ego. so YOU are the one that gets it. the rest of us don't question anything. we are brainwashed and emotionally manipulated; we will never be able to synthesize information.
you really don't make any sense. if ford was not ford, would we have elected carter? and carter to reagan?
oh, is that a bell i hear? have to run, must be lunchtime!

[barackobama4prez]

what another unique idea from Prez. Obama. That will be a power photo op.

[bill76]

wasn't obama's idea,it was bush's.