President-elect Barack Obama joined President George W. Bush at the White House with former presidents, from left, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. (AP Photo by J. Scott Applewhite)
by Mark Silva
It rained on the Rose Garden picture that President Bush hoped to take with his predecessors, including his father, and his successor, President-elect Barack Obama, at the White House today.
So the nation's living and future presidents assembled in the Oval Office for a family photo before lunch in the private dining room of the White House. The five men stood side-by-side and close together in front of Bush's desk. President Bush looked at Obama several times as he spoke and Obama nodded his head. They shook hands.
"How are you guys? Good to see you,'' Obama told the group.
"I want to thank the president-elect for joining the ex-presidents for lunch,'' Bush said. "And one message that I have and I think we all share is that we want you to succeed.
"Whether we're Democrat or Republican, we care deeply about this country,'' Bush said: "And to the extent we can we look forward to sharing our experiences with you. All of us who have served in this office understand that the office itself transcends the individual and we wish you all the very best and so does the country."
"I just want to thank the president for hosting us,'' Obama said. "This is an extraordinary gathering. All the gentlemen here understand both the pressures and possibilities of this office, and for me to have the opportunity to get advice, good counsel and fellowship with these individuals is extraordinary and I'm very grateful to all of them. But again thank you, Mr. President, for hosting.''
Source: Tribune's Washington Bureau, The Swamp
