Obama Joins Exclusive Lunch Club

White House Hosts Unprecedented Gathering Of Past, Present and Future Presidents

(CBS/AP)  President-elect Barack Obama hailed a rare Oval Office gathering of all U.S. presidents as an extraordinary event on Wednesday as the current occupant, President George W. Bush, reminded his predecessors and successor that the office "transcends the individual."

"I just want to thank the president for hosting us," the president-elect said, flanked by former President George H.W. Bush on one side and his son on the other.

Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, both smiling broadly, stood with them.

"All the gentlemen here understand both the pressures and possibilities of this office," Mr. Obama said. "For me to have the opportunity to get advice, good counsel and fellowship with these individuals is extraordinary."

In a swift photo opportunity, the current president wished Mr. Obama well before all five men headed to a private lunch.

"I want to thank the president-elect for joining the ex-presidents for lunch," Mr. Bush said, even though he's not quite a member of that club yet.

"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," Mr. Bush said. "All of us who have served in this office understand that the office itself transcends the individual."

He added: "We wish you all the very best, and so does the country."

The lunch was Mr. Obama's idea and President Bush thought it was a "fantastic idea," according to his press secretary.

And it represented an unprecedented gathering of America's past, present and future presidents, reports CBS News senior White House correspondent Bill Plante.

Ex-presidents are usually seen all together only at funerals or presidential library openings. President Ronald Reagan asked former presidents Ford, Carter and Nixon to attend the funeral of slain Egyptian President Anwar Sadat - the last time all the living ex-presidents were at the White House. President Clinton and the elder President Bush teamed up for good will missions such as hurricane or tsunami relief.

"What we've seen in American history is sometimes ex-presidents rallying together to do things," presidential historian Douglas Brinkley told CBS News. "But what's unique about this is Obama is making a real statement that I'm going to be seeking counsel and advice from all the ex-presidents."

It is the ultimate power lunch, writes CBS Radio News correspondent Peter Maer. The current and former presidents can brief Mr. Obama on their own experiences.

Above all, they can convey a sense of what has been described as "the loneliest job in the world," writes Maer. Andrew Jackson described the presidency as "dignified slavery." James Buchanan was reported to have told his successor Abraham Lincoln, "If you are as happy entering this house as I am leaving, you are the happiest man in the world."

Sitting presidents have often talked to their predecessors in the past. John F. Kennedy sought advice from former presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Harry Truman.

"It's not as though these men didn't make mistakes," political analyst Stuart Rothenberg told CBS News. "But maybe the fact they have made mistakes make them the kinds of people who an incoming president would want to listen to."

Mr. Bush and Mr. Obama also met privately for roughly 30 minutes. That one-on-one meeting, coming just 13 days before Mr. Obama's inauguration, likely focused on grim current events, with war in the Gaza Strip and the economy in a recession.

Mr. Obama has sought to strike a balance as the power curve bends his way. Before taking office, he is publicly rallying Congress behind a massive economic stimulus plan. But he remains deferential to Bush on foreign affairs and will not comment on Israel's deadly conflict with Hamas on grounds that doing so would be dangerous for the United States.

"You can't have two administrations running foreign policy at the same time," Mr. Obama said at a news conference earlier in the day.

Vice President-elect Joe Biden also held a private meeting with former President Bush at the White House on Wednesday.

Considering the bond they hold in history, U.S. presidents gets together infrequently, particularly at the White House. And when they are in the same room, it is usually for a milestone or somber moment - a funeral of a world leader, an opening of a presidential library, a commemoration of history.

Not this time.

"It's going to be an interesting lunch," Mr. Bush told an interviewer recently. When asked what the five men would talk about, Mr. Bush said: "I don't know. I'm sure (Obama's) going to ask us all questions, I would guess. If not, we'll just share war stories."

They have plenty of those, political and otherwise. Their paths to power have long been entwined.

Carter lost the presidency to Ronald Reagan, whose running mate was George H.W. Bush. Bush later won election but lost after one term to Clinton. Then Bush's son, the current president, defeated Clinton's vice president, Al Gore. And this year Obama won after long linking his opponent, John McCain, to Bush.

Those campaign rivalries tend to soften over time as presidents leave the White House and try to adopt the role of statesmen - although Carter, even as an ex-president, has had some critical public words for the current president's foreign policy.

All five men were to pose for a group photo in the Rose Garden, but a January rainstorm scrapped that plan. So the noontime photo opportunity - the media's only glimpse of them - was moved indoors to the Oval Office.

The presidents and Mr. Obama were having lunch in a private dining room off the Oval Office, where no one else was expected to join them.

"All of us would love to be flies on the wall and listening to that conversation," White House press secretary Dana Perino said.

The rare presidential joint appearance also offered Bush, who ends his two terms deeply unpopular, to again show he is rising above the fray.

And it represents one of the few times Vice President Dick Cheney has been left out of a big White House event. But in a radio interview with CBS News, Cheney said he doesn't feel left out.

"No, I'd love to be there, but the vice presidents weren't invited." He said today's lunch is "just for the big dogs."

[eroosevelt08]

President elect Obama is an unusual person to request such a meeting. He gives me hope!

[mswolfestock]

We cannot afford to cling to our polarizing ideologies and antagonistic rhetoric. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we might just save the future of this country.

----- posted by cosmotopper7

EXACTLY!!! Good people of America, all of you patriots, we MUST find common ground. We MUST get along with each other. If we continue to be divisive, then "the terrorists have won."

God Bless America and everyone who loves this great country too much to let it go!

[thebob-bob]

Who were all the white guys with Obama?
Did they all hold hands and sing kumbaya?

Obama is going to lift the block on Presidential records and we''re all finally going to see Reagan/Bush criminality exposed.

[cosmotopper]

As angry as I have been at the conduct of the Bush administration (and I am a Republican who voted for him once), if these five guys can set an example about what is needed to rebuild a viable economy, I''ll never say another bad word about him. We cannot afford to cling to our polarizing ideologies and antagonistic rhetoric. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we might just save the future of this country.

[opedanderson]

"....give Mr. Obama time to get in at least before you start crying about his shortcomings, of which at this point you nothing about"

Posted by lalabradle at 12:06 PM : Jan 07, 2009


Exactly my point about Obama too. What do YOU know about him? Nothing......

[dnamj]

Well, It''s going to take more than just the advice of all the ex-presidents. It will take an extraordinary commitment on the part of all Americans to work hard and be much smarter and more efficient to fix this country. We''ve paralyzed ourselves with infighting, laziness, and superstition. It is time to wake up and put this place back together.

[alanw1077]

MSNBC actually shows a photo of all the presidents together, while CBS is asleep at the wheel.
And that traitor Carter was in the room. That As*swipe should be dragged out in leg-irons like OJ. Scum of the earth.

[erasmus606]

"Just imagine them all in their underwear.."

Ahhh....no thanks.

[lalabradle]

ALL HAIL THE NEW SUPERHERO THAT WILL SAVE THE WORLD - I think it''''s time for us to stop watching cartoons!!!


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Posted by TRUTHreadbyu at 09:51 AM : Jan 07, 2009
+ report abuse

We will come Jan. 20 LOL!!!!!!!

''''As history shows, the democrats will now have to clean up the mess.''''

They could have cleaned up the mess with the executive office not theirs. They waited..

Posted by william712
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Every time they tried, it either got filibustered or vetoed...

[lalabradle]

He hasn''''t even been sworn in yet and most of the campaign promises are already out the window. Didn''''t take him long did it?



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Posted by withad at 09:40 AM : Jan 07, 2009
+ report abuse
Are you listening to yourself? He''s not even in office yet, so how can he make good on anything? MORON

If you can name ONE issue that the dems took a stand on during the last eight years I would be interested to hear about it.

Posted by Korak44
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The Democrats never missed an opportunity to allow the republican party to speed ever faster down their well worn path to self-destruction. It''s the best thing the Democrats could have done for this country.
As history shows, the democrats will now have to clean up the mess.

[lalabradle]

______________________
If such is the case, then you morons made it so easy for us to do. Then, you have the audacity to call someone an ''''idiot'''', when you brain-dead imbeciles ruined the economy and want try to put the blame on us, because you can''''t admit what monumental failures you are. How pathetic! I hope Obama didn''''t gag being in the presence of such failures like Bush and Bush Jr. All that incompetence gathered together in one room would make anybody choke.


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Posted by tj217 at 12:07 PM : Jan 07, 2009
+ report abuse

You can say that again.

[lalabradle]

You know you people amaze me, Obama is not even in office yet, can''t really do anything but prepare for it right now. He''s doing an excellent job in his preparation. But all of you people who didn''t vote for him are criticizing him already. Some of you are just morons and will remain that no matter what he does or does not do. Your president George W. is the worst president in history yet you have the nerve to criticize the incoming. Give Mr. Obama time to get in at least before you start crying about his shortcomings, of which at this point you nothing about. If you can still applaud and praise your chosen one, GW Bush for a job well done, there is something drastically wrong with you.

[erasmus606]

"All of us would love to be flies on the wall and listening to that conversation."

It should be a VERY interesting lunch.
They will be falling all over themselves trying to tell Obama what they think he should do.

[erasmus606]

Bush may have made many, many mistakes, but he kept the USA safe from terrorist attacks after 9/11.

The shame you feel will be your own, when you realize you made a HUGE mistake in electing the most unqualified candidate ever.

Posted by peace4321 at 09:33 AM : Jan 07, 2009

Yeah, I guess you could give Bush credit for the ONE thing he MAY have done right. He may have kept the terrorists from destroying the U.S., but then didn''t he just turned around and destroy it himself?

Obama is unqualified? It''s true he does lack experience, but he is making up for that by surrounding himself with people that do.

The huge mistake was Bush.
When you hit bottom, you can only go up.:)

[specialty8]

chitown, If not for Edwards and the states not getting to have a say ,Hillary would have won.She also won the popular vote without them.

[chitownfire1]

Obama won the election,Hillary by all rights really won but thats another story, so lets just wait and see what Pelosi and Reid tell him what to do.I hope its better than the approval rating these two clowns have received over the last few years,the worst in history.


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Posted by specialty8

Well, tell us how Hillary actually won when she never earned enough delegates to win. The DNC rules say that the candidate that wins the appropriate amount of delegates is the winner of the primary. Just because you believe that Hillary should have a SPECIAL set of rules that only apply to her, doesnt mean it should be so. Hillary lost, why dont you get over it, she has!!!!

[vranger]

"then every time they tried t get something done they were stonewalled by the republicans and vetoed by Bush."

ROFL

You idiots love to twist the facts. The Democratic Congress is widely recognized, even by themselves, to have been the sticking point on every piece of important legislation this country needed over the past two years. Their goal was clearly to let bad situations fester until the 2008 elections so they could "blame it on the Republicans". It worked. Millions of people have lost their homes and jobs because of it, but hey, they won the White House and some seats in Congress so it was all worth it. (wink)

I''m sure little kids out there sleeping in the back seat of a car somewhere are warmed by the thought that their sacrifice helped put Obama in the White House.

[freespeakers]

A man about to take on a monumental job is talking to those who had the job before him. How can this be anything but good? It should be standard operating procedure. In what way does this invite scathing comments about anyone else? Time to grow up people!