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January 7, 2009

Bush, Obama Have Lunch With Former US Presidents
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=216EC54:A6F02AD83191E160BF0D9EFAE2EABFF598CBE7246176B735&
 
Outgoing US president says he and the country wish Mr. Obama 'the very
best,' adding that, more than anything, he wants the incoming president
to succeed 
President-elect Barack Obama is welcomed by President George W. Bush at
the White House in Washington, with former presidents, from left, George
H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter, 07 Jan 2009 (Click on picture
to see larger version)U.S. President George Bush is hosting a luncheon
at the White House with President-elect Barack Obama and all the living
former American presidents. The outgoing U.S. president said he and the
country wish Mr. Obama "the very best," adding that, more than anything,
he wants the incoming president to succeed. For his part, Mr. Obama
praised the wisdom and experience of the men gathered at what he called
the "historic" meeting. Mr. Bush's father, George H.W. Bush, along with
Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, also attended the lunch. The group posed
for pictures in the Oval Office before heading to their hour-long lunch.
A White House spokeswoman, Dana Perino, said it has been more than a
quarter-century since all living U.S. presidents gathered at the White
House. President Bush and Mr. Obama were to meet privately for 20 to 30
minutes before the lunch. The White House spokeswoman said the two men
were expected to discuss the situation in the Middle East and the ailing
U.S. economy. Mr. Bush met with Mr. Obama at the White House days after
Mr. Obama's November 4 presidential victory, and the two are said to
have been speaking periodically since by telephone. Mr. Obama becomes
the 44th president of the United States in less than two weeks, on
January 20. The 47-year-old senator also is to become the first
African-American to lead the nation.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP.


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