Bipartisan Team Represents Obama At Summit

Democrat Madeleine Albright And Republican Jim Leach Represent President-Elect At World Economic Summit

(AP)  President-elect Barack Obama will dispatch former Republican Rep. Jim Leach and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, a Democrat, to represent him among world leaders attending the global economic summit in Washington next weekend.

Obama is not attending the gathering of delegations from 20 nations and won't meet with foreign dignitaries who do. He is deferring to President George W. Bush and avoiding putting himself in a situation where he might be seen as trying to represent the United States before his Jan. 20 inauguration.

Obama's transition team on Wednesday said Leach, who endorsed Obama during the campaign, and Albright will mainly be listeners on the periphery of the meetings.

Albright was secretary of state during the administration of former President Bill Clinton. Leach spent 30 years in Congress before being defeated by a Democrat in 2006.

Bush called the summit before the election, and it is expected to draw representatives from the world's 20 largest industrialized nations and emerging economies.

The aim of the Saturday summit is for world powers to craft remedies to the global financial crisis.

"We have one president at a time, and it's important that the president can speak for the United States at the summit," John Podesta, Obama's transition chief, told reporters Tuesday. Podesta noted that Obama had urged such a summit during the presidential campaign.

Obama has been in touch with many foreign leaders.

In phone calls last week, Obama accepted congratulations from leaders of countries including Canada, France, Italy, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Spain. The global financial crisis was among the topics he discussed with key U.S. allies, aides said.

On Tuesday, he spoke with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil, Pope Benedict XVI, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India, King Abdullah II of Jordan and President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya, the homeland of Obama's father.

The president-elect held his first news conference last Friday after he and Vice President-elect Joe Biden met privately with economic advisers. Obama's message: "We are facing the greatest economic challenge of our lifetime, and we're going to have to act swiftly to resolve it."

A new Associated Press-GfK poll found nearly three quarters of Americans now saying they think Obama will make the changes needed to revive the struggling U.S. economy after his inauguration on Jan. 20.

That's a greater percentage of people expressing confidence in the Obama's campaign message of hope and change than the 52 percent who actually voted for him a week ago.

It includes 44 percent of Republicans - an indication that many people who did not pick him are caught up in the wave of optimism that has swept the country since the 47-year-old Illinois senator's groundbreaking election to the highest office in the country.

[skiluuver]

BiPartisan -- how many times did George Bush do "bipartisan?"

[doorgunner3]

Off to a good start.

This is the way to unite our country.

We are proud of our new President.

Obama!

[jamshied]

EVERY MOVE AND DECISION OF PRES-ELECT OBAMA IS CALCULATYED AND EVALUATED.
THE BOTTOMLINE IS A UNITED AMERICA, TO SOLVE THE PROBLEMS OF THE CRISIS PROPORTION, BRINGING CAHNGE THAT HE HAS ENVISIONED AND HAS PROMISED.

OBAMA IS AN INTELLIGENT AND METHODICAL EXECUTOR.
FOR THAT END HE HAS ASSEBMLED AND CONTINUES TO ASSEMBLE TEAMS OF EXPERTS IN ALL AREAS, NOT JUST FOR SHOW AND FOR GIVING HIM ADVICE, BUT TO GET THINGS DONE EFFICIENTLY. IF HE CONTINUES THIS APPROACH, HE WILL GO DOWN THE HISTORY ONE OF THE GREATS IN AMERICAN HISTORY.

GOOD LUCK!

[stevex47]

This guy''s Amazing. He''s ready to take the job today. But humble enough to defer to Bush for a few.

This guy''s a do-er. Reminds me of Tiger Woods, LeBron and Colin Powell and Denzel Washington, ha, wrapped in one.

Thank Goodness.

[sjbj2322]

mr22587 wrote....Again, Obama votes "present"

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What would YOU have him do. Complicate things by presenting members of foreign nations with what would obviously be contridictory perspectives on the problems and/or solutions. If Bush had truly been concerned about Obama being prepared to take over HE would have extended an invitation to him to be there BUT HE DIDN''T. WHY - cause the possibility of his being able to salvage his already sham of a legacy far exceeded his desire to see real solutions to what''s now become an international crisis. Thus Barack at least sends in representatives. Smart move on his part. Shows that he''s respecting Bush yet refusing to turn a blind eye or deaf ear to the problems.

[kaelinda]

Obama isn''t even president yet, and people are already dissatisfied with him. I dare say there are some people who will be dissatisfied no matter what he does, either because he''s black or because he''s a democrat or because they think he''s got funny ears. It doesn''t matter the reason: the fact is that we all need to rally around our president-elect and give him the 10 weeks of transition (68 days left) to get his bearings and catch his breath after such a dynamite election campaign. Let''s not start judging him until at LEAST January 21, 2009!