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America's next first family -- President-elect Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle -- spent more than an hour at the White House Monday, getting a tour of what will soon be their new home and an orientation of sorts.
As a large group of onlookers watched from the sidewalk, the Obamas' limo arrived early for their 2 p.m. ET meeting with President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush. The motorcade was befitting of the next president of the United States.
White House press secretary Dana Perino described the meeting as "constructive, relaxed and friendly."
She said the president and his successor spoke about domestic and international issues, as Bush showed Obama his eventual living quarters and office, as well as the Lincoln Bedroom and the rooms where the Obamas' two daughters will stay.
Obama spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter described the meeting as "productive and friendly," saying they had a "broad discussion" about the importance of working together for a smooth transition.
The Obamas stayed for more than an hour before heading back separately to the airport for their return trips to their hometown of Chicago. The president-elect was staying in town later to hold private meetings with his advisers.
The Obamas were first greeted at the White House portico by the president and first lady. The two couples posed for photos before walking into the presidential mansion without commenting to reporters.
Click here for a photo essay of the Obamas visit to the White House.
In a bit of pageantry for the cameras, the president and president-elect walked along the Colonnade and into the Oval Office. Accustomed to the protocol, Bush waved at the crowd before Obama followed suit. The two stopped for a moment to greet spectators before walking into the Oval Office, Obama's first visit to that storied room.
Despite the tension between the two men during the campaign -- Obama used John McCain's ties to the unpopular president as a weapon, while Bush once seemed to badmouth Obama's foreign policy as "appeasement" -- Bush has pledged to work hand-in-hand with Obama's transition team.
The meeting between a U.S. president and his successor is a tradition, but this year the private sit-down is coming earlier than usual. The schedule is a reflection of the severity of the challenges Obama will inherit -- two ongoing wars, in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a steep economic downturn. Bush and Obama were expected to review both of those issues, though the president and president-elect were the only two in the meeting and so no read-out was to be offered of the meeting.
"It's happening a little bit earlier for us," Perino said earlier Monday. "And that was, one, because we are so committed to making sure that the transition is as smooth as possible, to get he and his team here so that they can start having private conversations amongst themselves is important to us."
The moment was steeped in history, part of a symbolic changing of the guard to Democratic leadership and the country's first black president.
Perino said she could not offer a detailed preview, explaining that, "I don't think any of us can understand what it's like ... for two people who are now going to be in a very small club, who understand what it's like to be the commander in chief, to be the leader of our great country."
She added that, "I'm sure that this won't be the only time that they speak."
While Bush and Obama were meeting, Laura Bush guided Michelle Obama on a tour of the first family's living quarters.
Obama arrived on an American Airlines charter, having abandoned the campaign plane for something more staid and presidential. Waiting on the tarmac at Reagan National Airport were transition team leader John Podesta, press secretary Robert Gibbs and body guard Marvin Nicholson.
Obama got off the plane wearing sunglasses. He shook Podesta's and Gibbs' hand before getting in a limousine. Podesta joined Obama in the car for the ride into town.
Obama won the presidency in an electoral landslide on Tuesday. He ran a campaign in which he relentlessly linked McCain to Bush and presented his ideas as a fresh alternative to what he called Bush's failed policies.
Yet the tone changed almost immediately after Obama's win.
Bush, who had endorsed McCain, lauded Obama's victory as a "triumph of the American story." He warmly invited the Obama family to the White House.
Obama, in turn, thanked Bush for being gracious. The president-elect has made clear to the people of the United States and those watching around the world that there is only one president for now, and that's Bush. Obama does not assume the presidency until Jan. 20.
"I'm going to go in there with a spirit of bipartisanship, and a sense that both the president and various leaders of Congress all recognize the severity of the situation right now and want to get stuff done," Obama said last week when asked about his meeting with Bush.
Obama started his day in Chicago, dropping his two daughters at school, each with a kiss, and then going to a gym for a workout. He traveled to Washington separately from his wife, who a spokeswoman said had a private schedule before being able to travel to the nation's capital.
Unlike the incoming president, Bush knew his way around the Oval Office by the time he was elected in 2000 -- his father had been president. Still, like many before them, President Clinton and President-elect Bush had their own private meeting, keeping up a tradition that temporarily puts the presidency above politics.
Obama has been to the White House before, including an emergency leadership session to deal with the financial crisis in September. It was his first visit into the Oval Office.
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America's next first family -- President-elect Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle -- spent more than an hour at the White House Monday, getting a tour of what will soon be their new home and an orientation of sorts.
As a large group of onlookers watched from the sidewalk, the Obamas' limo arrived early for their 2 p.m. ET meeting with President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush. The motorcade was befitting of the next president of the United States.
White House press secretary Dana Perino described the meeting as "constructive, relaxed and friendly."
She said the president and his successor spoke about domestic and international issues, as Bush showed Obama his eventual living quarters and office, as well as the Lincoln Bedroom and the rooms where the Obamas' two daughters will stay.
Obama spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter described the meeting as "productive and friendly," saying they had a "broad discussion" about the importance of working together for a smooth transition.
The Obamas stayed for more than an hour before heading back separately to the airport for their return trips to their hometown of Chicago. The president-elect was staying in town later to hold private meetings with his advisers.
The Obamas were first greeted at the White House portico by the president and first lady. The two couples posed for photos before walking into the presidential mansion without commenting to reporters.
Click here for a photo essay of the Obamas visit to the White House.
In a bit of pageantry for the cameras, the president and president-elect walked along the Colonnade and into the Oval Office. Accustomed to the protocol, Bush waved at the crowd before Obama followed suit. The two stopped for a moment to greet spectators before walking into the Oval Office, Obama's first visit to that storied room.
Despite the tension between the two men during the campaign -- Obama used John McCain's ties to the unpopular president as a weapon, while Bush once seemed to badmouth Obama's foreign policy as "appeasement" -- Bush has pledged to work hand-in-hand with Obama's transition team.
The meeting between a U.S. president and his successor is a tradition, but this year the private sit-down is coming earlier than usual. The schedule is a reflection of the severity of the challenges Obama will inherit -- two ongoing wars, in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a steep economic downturn. Bush and Obama were expected to review both of those issues, though the president and president-elect were the only two in the meeting and so no read-out was to be offered of the meeting.
"It's happening a little bit earlier for us," Perino said earlier Monday. "And that was, one, because we are so committed to making sure that the transition is as smooth as possible, to get he and his team here so that they can start having private conversations amongst themselves is important to us."
The moment was steeped in history, part of a symbolic changing of the guard to Democratic leadership and the country's first black president.
Perino said she could not offer a detailed preview, explaining that, "I don't think any of us can understand what it's like ... for two people who are now going to be in a very small club, who understand what it's like to be the commander in chief, to be the leader of our great country."
She added that, "I'm sure that this won't be the only time that they speak."
While Bush and Obama were meeting, Laura Bush guided Michelle Obama on a tour of the first family's living quarters.
Obama arrived on an American Airlines charter, having abandoned the campaign plane for something more staid and presidential. Waiting on the tarmac at Reagan National Airport were transition team leader John Podesta, press secretary Robert Gibbs and body guard Marvin Nicholson.
Obama got off the plane wearing sunglasses. He shook Podesta's and Gibbs' hand before getting in a limousine. Podesta joined Obama in the car for the ride into town.
Obama won the presidency in an electoral landslide on Tuesday. He ran a campaign in which he relentlessly linked McCain to Bush and presented his ideas as a fresh alternative to what he called Bush's failed policies.
Yet the tone changed almost immediately after Obama's win.
Bush, who had endorsed McCain, lauded Obama's victory as a "triumph of the American story." He warmly invited the Obama family to the White House.
Obama, in turn, thanked Bush for being gracious. The president-elect has made clear to the people of the United States and those watching around the world that there is only one president for now, and that's Bush. Obama does not assume the presidency until Jan. 20.
"I'm going to go in there with a spirit of bipartisanship, and a sense that both the president and various leaders of Congress all recognize the severity of the situation right now and want to get stuff done," Obama said last week when asked about his meeting with Bush.
Obama started his day in Chicago, dropping his two daughters at school, each with a kiss, and then going to a gym for a workout. He traveled to Washington separately from his wife, who a spokeswoman said had a private schedule before being able to travel to the nation's capital.
Unlike the incoming president, Bush knew his way around the Oval Office by the time he was elected in 2000 -- his father had been president. Still, like many before them, President Clinton and President-elect Bush had their own private meeting, keeping up a tradition that temporarily puts the presidency above politics.
Obama has been to the White House before, including an emergency leadership session to deal with the financial crisis in September. It was his first visit into the Oval Office.
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