The Bushes, The Obamas & The White House

CBS' Mark Knoller On The Tradition Of Presidents-Elect And White House Tours

(CBS)  CBS' Mark Knoller covers the White House and Washington politics.

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There’s a lot of play-acting involved when a President-elect of the opposition party is received at the White House by the outgoing President.

It’s not quite as awkward as when the incoming Chief Executive actually defeated the incumbent, as was the case in 1980 when Jimmy Carter welcomed Ronald Reagan to the Oval Office; or in 1992, when the first President Bush had to offer smiles and a handshake to Bill Clinton.

Imagine how you’d feel if you’d been fired and were then required to show your replacement around your office and house?

Barack Obama didn’t beat George W. Bush, but he did beat him up rhetorically. Mr. Obama spent most of the last two years repeatedly making the case that Mr. Bush needlessly took the nation to war in Iraq and ran the economy into a ditch. Not the kind of verbiage that makes for instant cordiality.

And the worst thing Mr. Obama felt he could say about John McCain was that his election would amount to a third term for the Bush Administration.

But Messrs. Bush and Obama are both top-flight politicians. They know how to put politics aside - especially when the whole world is watching. And President Bush wants to be seen rolling out the red carpet for his successor.

“Ensuring that this transition is seamless is a top priority for the rest of my time in office,” said Mr. Bush in his weekly radio address on Saturday. “My administration will work hard to ensure that the next president and his team can hit the ground running.”

During 31 years at the White House, retired Chief Usher Gary Walters has been witness to many such meetings of the outgoing and incoming Presidents.

"It’s usually very congenial," he said in a radio interview with CBS News. "I think that people around the world marvel at the transition that the United States has from one president to another - and in this case from one party to another."

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Listen to Mark Knoller's report on today's White House meeting with President Bush and first lady Laura Bush and the Obamas

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He calls it a "marvelous trait of our American democracy" to see the President arm-in-arm with the President-elect.

It’s also a marvelous example of politicians putting their personal feelings aside for the good of the nation.

[babooph]

Bush would like to go hide in Texas today -idiot he is,he can still now see the horrible mess he made-his war crimes scream for a trial,though the US propaganda system will cover all up.

[n8yvn29]

If I were Bush, I would treat President Obama with much respect and kindness, too, especially considering Bush is a criminal and will be the subject of investigations and hopefully prosecution by the new administration and Congress for crimes against U.S. citizens, the Constitution, and citizens of other countries. Yes, I would kiss a.. too, if I feared eventual prosecution. Bush may be a criminal and a traitor, but he is not dumb.

[huhhh1]

OMG can journalism get any worse?

Mark, please tell me you''re aware that Bush wasn''t fired? he wasn''t even running.

And we wonder why Americans resort to alternative sources for their news.

[yongamerica]

Abraham Lincoln would not recognized the Republican party today because it has deviated from its founding ideals in a tremendous way.

Would Lincoln tolerate or support the fanatic religious influence within the Republican party today? No only no, but He ll no.

[legacyabq]

End scene?

What does that mean?

I didnt write the definition for liberalism, fool.

The claim to fame of real conservatives is what USED to be called liberalism..
Neocons, meaning "new conservatives" are called new for a reason. They no longer recognize the libertarian principles they used to hold dear.
Which is why Christopher Buckley endorsed Obama.

[legacyabq]

has to start paying out for everyone of those "promises" he made



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Hmmm.

And while you fear the unknown, here''s something real..
How are we going to pay for the trillion+ dollar debt we have RIGHT NOW, courtesy of Bush??
Hmm?
You complain about some nebulous idea of "paying" for something UN-NAMED and sinister by Obama: yet where''s the comment about a REAL and NAMABLE, MASSIVE DEBT incurred ALREADY??

Exactly what "promise" will we be paying for??
NOBODY PROMISED ME A WAR, and I''m paying for one ANYWAY..

I dont much LIKE paying for war..
Do you?
We could have healthcare or better education many times over for the money ALREADY SPENT on this war, IN REAL LIFE: RIGHT NOW..
Stop repeating your propaganda, the election is over.

parrot.. tax-and-spend liberals! tax-and-spend liberal! SQUAWK!

Trickle down!!
SQUAWK! SQUAWK!!

You are loud, parrot.

[yongamerica]

GW Bush has dug America such a deep hole it will take almost 2 decades do get out of it. When you look at the promises Bush made during his first campaign, there isn''t one that can be checked off. Mission Accomplished, Cowboy.

After having a cowboy in the White House America could not afford to house a couple of mavericks there. America needs to quit subsidizing housing to mavericks and this should start at the White House and trickle on down through every governor''s mansion as well.

Sarah is afraid to move into Alaska''s governor''s mansion because she knows she won''t be there long enough to unpack half of her wardrobe and make-up boxes before she gets the boot.

[legacyabq]

Some of the greatest writers/thinkers of the humanist persuasion contributed to the development of these ideals.

They include: (there are many many more)
** Voltaire.
** Thomas Jefferson.
** Montesqueue
** John Stuart Mill

Can you imagine Sean Hannity screeching about democracy and "freedom" in a debate with these guys?
Ha. Ha.

[legacyabq]

freedom of thought and speech, limitations on the power of governments, the rule of law, an individual''''s right to private property,[2] free markets,[2] and a transparent system of government.[3] All liberals, as well as some adherents of other political ideologies, support some variant of the form of government known as liberal democracy, with open and fair elections, where all citizens have equal rights by law.



THAT PART IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT


So: which part should be hated and feared??

I can''t figure it out..

[legacyabq]

There seems to be some misunderstanding here about what a liberal is, and what liberalism means.. (As usual)
Despite his best efforts, Limbaugh et al cannot alter the basic definition of an important, historical tenet of political philosophy.

........Read carefully now............

To wit:

Liberalism is a broad class of political philosophies that consider individual liberty to be the most important political goal.[1]

Liberalism emphasizes individual rights and equality of opportunity. Within liberalism there are various streams of thought which compete over the use of the term "liberal" and may propose very different policies, but they are generally united by their support for a number of principles, including freedom of thought and speech, limitations on the power of governments, the rule of law, an individual''s right to private property,[2] free markets,[2] and a transparent system of government.[3] All liberals, as well as some adherents of other political ideologies, support some variant of the form of government known as liberal democracy, with open and fair elections, where all citizens have equal rights by law.[4]

Modern liberalism has its roots in the Age of Enlightenment and rejected many foundational assumptions that dominated most earlier theories of government, such as the Divine Right of Kings, hereditary status, established religion, and economic protectionism.[5][6][