US News
Obama meets Bush, tours new home (Roundup)
By Anne K Walters Nov 10, 2008, 20:06 GMT
US President elect Barack Obama (R) and his wife Michelle (2R) pose for photographers after being greeted by President George W. Bush (L) and First Lady Laura Bush on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, USA on 10 November 2008. After a tour of the White House, Obama and Bush are expected to meet in the Oval Office to discuss the economy and other issues facing the incoming administration. EPA/GARY FABINANO / POOL
Washington - President-elect Barack Obama on Monday met with the man whose role he will fill in January, as he and wife Michelle came to the White House for talks with President George W Bush and First Lady Laura Bush.
The two men shook hands, while their wives exchanged a quick hug, before posing for pictures outside the executive mansion.
Bush then guided Obama to the Oval Office for private talks that likely included the faltering economy, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and terrorist threats.
Bush was a much-reviled figure on the campaign trail, as Obama attacked the unpopular president's handling of the economy and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan while accusing Republican rival John McCain of seeking to continue those policies.
But despite any hard feelings generated by months of political attacks, Bush welcomed the Obamas and discussed the business of governing with his successor in the traditional meeting that is part of the peaceful handover of power between all US presidents.
'Of course they have difference on policies, but they both love their country equally, and their love of country they're going to put first, and then they'll work together to make sure that they have everything that they need, going forward,' White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said ahead of the meeting, noting Bush understands that animosity is just part of politics.
The two men, will be part of 'a very small club, who understand what it's like to be the commander in chief, to be the leader of our great country,' Perino said. Though she would not provide details about what the men were to discuss, the faltering US economy as well as the threat of terrorist attacks during the political transition will likely be on the table.
In his weekly radio address on Saturday, Bush warned of the dangers that are part of the first presidential transition since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
'This will also be America's first wartime presidential transition in four decades. We're in a struggle against violent extremists determined to attack us - and they would like nothing more than to exploit this period of change to harm the American people,' he said.
As part of the transition, Obama has begun receiving intelligence briefings and will also be briefed on other major issues, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
While their husbands held private talks, Laura Bush and Michelle Obama toured the president's residential quarters, including bedrooms used by previous presidential children, and were likely to discuss raising a family in the White House, Perino said.
The Obamas have two daughters, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, who will be the first young children in the executive mansion since Chelsea Clinton, who was 12 when her father Bill Clinton became president in 1993. The Bushes have two adult daughters, Jenna and Barbara, who were attending university when their father entered office.
'We are gratified by the invitation. I'm sure that, in addition to taking a tour of the White House, there's going to be a substantive conversation between myself and the president,' Obama said at a press conference on Friday.
'I'm going to go in there with a spirit of bipartisanship and a sense that both the president and various leaders in Congress all recognize the severity of the situation right now and want to get stuff done,' he added.
Despite their political differences, Bush has praised Obama for his historic election victory and pledged to do everything to make for a smooth transition. Obama for his part has stressed that while he is eager to get to work that Bush remains the country's leader until January 20.
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Older Talkback
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Yep, this is the single most critical decision the President-elect is faced with. He MUST make up his mind soon. Someone will starve or freeze to death in the dark if he fails.
Man! I'm sure glad I don't have to do his job. Holy smokes.
How does Obama moving into the White House deny someone heat? Who is freezing because Obama up'ed the temp? Is there a control somewhere that goes down when he does this? What is it hooked to, poor folks houses in the greater DC area? Please share with us. Please tell me you are a republican. I get so tired of the left wingnuts embarrassing us all.
If the person who starves or freezes to death is you or your child then you would take this matter much more seriously.
Essentially, in a limited resource system for every choice there is a counter-choice. It is a fundamental concept that most people do not understand, yet it is so obvious.
For example: If you are a christian and mass kill muslims then you, well, mass kill muslims. But, you might also be saving lives. But, just because you save lives does not mean that you don't mass kill muslims as a christian.
Choices must be made very carefully.
In this case, presidents have historically chosen vast luxury over feeding the poor and preventing them from starving. The usual comeback to that is that presidents need to show power to advisories and that starving people is a necessary side effect. I disagree with that. I believe that power is who you are and what you do, not what you have.
Hey guys, don't worry. I understand that you can't get this issue. It is a cognitive disability to not understand limited-resource systems. That is why Bush can run up a 10 trillion dollar debt. He doesn't perceive any limits. There are millions of people that do not understand limits and choices, so you are definitely not alone. It is actually a mental illness: credit addiction, mass killing people, starving people. They are all the results of choices people make when they do not understand limits and choices.
Obama will undoubtably fly around in luxury jets and stay at luxury hotels while other people starve to death. It's the way it works and is undeniable.
that are resources are not finite...
I'll give Lance his/her due on this one. There is no such thing as infinity. The universe itself is finite. So he/she does have a point. We ARE dealing with limited resources. OTOH, our resources are considerably larger than he/she seems to believe.
Let criticize the President-elect on this one all he/she wants. In her/his own way, Lance is every bit as extreme as Osama Bin Laden and his/her hatred for the US runs at least as deep.
'except that are resources are not finite...'
I rest my case.
Some people actually believe that perpetual motion machines exist even though they can not point to one. And that the laws of thermodynamics can be violated. They also think that the Earth is a closed system. Lunacy abounds.
Same with money: Some people believe they can spend anything because there is a job right around the corner that will pay more money then their current job.
And, so the world goes.
'OTOH, our resources are considerably larger than he/she seems to believe. '
You are kidding yourself. If they were 'considerably larger' then there could be considerable improvements. The fact is: The U.S. is maxed out big time, with a 10 trillion dollar debt.
But, your comment is part of the mental illness you have: You do not perceive your limits, or your country's limits, thus you think those limits are (nearly) limitless even though they are imposed every day by a federal budget that keeps bleeding red ink.
So, spend more money and make more debt. It is your choice to not be aware of limits, or actually: it is not your choice because you can not perceive the choice. That is why there are so many people filing bankruptcy in the U.S. in record amounts.
I find it interesting that people state that honesty is the result of 'hatred'.
It is obvious that Obama will be in ultimate luxury blowing millions of dollars on luxury accommodations while other people starve.
There is no doubt about that. It is not debatable. It is a fact. I would consider it disingenuous not acknowledge this issue.
If the 'purest' soul on Earth could not tell a lie then you would state that that soul is hateful.
Heck, I can go much further than that:
If Jesus himself descended from the heavens and told you to stop being so decadent and start feeding and providing shelter for the poor then you would call him hateful and anti-American.
And so it goes with the United States these days.
RE:''Some people actually believe that perpetual motion machines exist even though they can not point to one. And that the laws of thermodynamics can be violated. They also think that the Earth is a closed system. Lunacy abounds.''
Oh, so we are stuck here on Earth with absolutely no hope whatsoever? In the long run, you're right. Nothing lasts forever. Everyone now living will eventually die. That's a given. So now explain why I would want to worry my head about whether or not you are going to live another day? Why should I worry about whether or not my neighbor is going to live for another day, or my brother or anyone else? After all, we are all equally doomed. Why bother?
RE:''Same with money: Some people believe they can spend anything because there is a job right around the corner that will pay more money then their current job.''
And some people believe that the government will save them no matter how stupidly they behave. Come to that, you might have a point. By your line of reasoning we elected Barak Obama to the Presidency so that he could be the boss slave, right?
RE:''You are kidding yourself. If they were 'considerably larger' then there could be considerable improvements.''
My leg is now officially wet.
RE:''The fact is: The U.S. is maxed out big time, with a 10 trillion dollar debt.''
Here you have a point. The money IS the debt. There can be no lies about that. OTOH, the money we use is itself is a lie. That is a major problem that we really do need to fix.
RE:''But, your comment is part of the mental illness you have: You do not perceive your limits, or your country's limits, thus you think those limits are (nearly) limitless even though they are imposed every day by a federal budget that keeps bleeding red ink.''
For right now, things may well improve in the future, we are limited to what we can obtain from our solar system. Those are fairly large limits. It does mean, of course, we must not listen to defeatists and those who would enslave us in the name of the ''greater good''.
RE:''So, spend more money and make more debt. It is your choice to not be aware of limits, or actually: it is not your choice because you can not perceive the choice. That is why there are so many people filing bankruptcy in the U.S. in record amounts.''
It all comes back to the money doesn't it? Our fiat currency. I will partly agree with you on this point. Fiat currency is a genuine evil, mostly because it is a constant source of temptation. Very few officials, whether they are elected or hereditary, can resist the temptation to debase their people's currency. Ours have proven themselves to be as pliable as all those who came before them.
'It all comes back to the money doesn't it?'
No. The limit imposed upon you is mainly time.
You are trying to prove that limits are artificial and hence are not actually real. That limits are just to do with currency.
Well, that is not true. There are real limits and those limits mean that Obama gets luxury while other people starve.
RE:''f Jesus himself descended from the heavens and told you to stop being so decadent and start feeding and providing shelter for the poor then you would call him hateful and anti-American.''
Yes, I would, but then I am not a Christian.
Re:''No. The limit imposed upon you is mainly time.''
Everybody and everything runs out of time, or will eventually cease to exist in its current form. So what?
RE:''You are trying to prove that limits are artificial and hence are not actually real.''
No, as I was careful to point out, there really are limits, but they are well outside the the tiny little cage you demand that we reside in.
Re:''That limits are just to do with currency.''
That was your complaint and I partially agree with you.
EW:''Well, that is not true. There are real limits and those limits mean that Obama gets luxury while other people starve.''
Uh-huh. So, anyone who lives the slightest bit above the minimum level required to sustain life is a greedy, amoral berk. I've heard it all before. It is very nice of you to reveal your misanthropy so quickly. It usually takes me a week to goad a misanthrope into revealing their true nature.
'No, as I was careful to point out, there really are limits, but they are well outside the the tiny little cage you demand that we reside in.'
Well, I will simply assume you have not encountered a limit. Perhaps you can help pay down the national debt. Can you make a deposit to the Federal Treasury for 10 trillion dollars tomorrow?
I shall live in my cage, while you shall provide the cash.
Thank you.
I find this a bit moronic, so I shall leave it to you to be limitless.
Re:''Well, I will simply assume you have not encountered a limit.''
Quite a few, actually. Many of them imposed by folks who think the way you do.
RE:''Perhaps you can help pay down the national debt.''
I've done more than my fair share of that already.
Re:''Can you make a deposit to the Federal Treasury for 10 trillion dollars tomorrow?''
If I could, I will neither confirm nor deny, I would NOT. I am living with the current system because I do not have any choice in the matter. This is one of those artificial limits you think I find annoying and you are correct.
RE:''I shall live in my cage, while you shall provide the cash.''
Yes, I do understand that this is what you are demanding of me. What else is new? You love your little cage. You love your self-inflicted misery and you want me to pay for it all. I would not mind it so much if you were not trying to lure everyone into your cage. You need to be miserable. That is your nature.
RE:''Thank you.''
You are NOT welcome, thief.
RE:''I find this a bit moronic, so I shall leave it to you to be limitless.''
Yes, it is moronic of us to tolerate the likes of you. Allowing people like you to continue living is the price we pay to have a civilized society. Do keep trying to spread your poison, Lance. Sooner or later people will wake up to your schemes.
stayed tuned to the latest from the lance and Diogenes show.
Way to stick with the important issues...yes, heating the Whitehouse is taking up to much oil...not the million SUVs driven in this country everyday. Stop throwing the blame at everyone else and take some responsibility...I can’t believe you brought that up!
They can put solar panels on it, Lance. Then, no one will have to suffer.
we should get rid of our vehicles and ride bikes. Maybe we should sit around a fire to keep warm and get rid of furnaces. Of course we would need to make sure we weren't burning something that would cause pollution in the air. The maybes could go on and on, and one problem solved creates a new one as long as there are people on this earth. Moderation in anything is one of the answers.
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lanceNov 10th, 2008 - 23:45:17
Like everyone else, Obama must make a choice:
(a) Heat a bigger place and deny money to poor people who are freezing.
or
(b) Heat a smaller place and provide for poor people.
The fact that there is a choice is undeniable, it is just which choice you make that is the issue.
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