CHICAGO — No longer foes but not yet allies, President-elect Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain buried their bitter campaign in public smiles and searched for common ground in private Monday, discussing possible collaboration on climate change, immigration, Guantanamo Bay and more.
The 40-minute session at Obama’s transition headquarters, their first meeting since Obama defeated McCain on Nov. 4, was the latest effort by the president-elect to heal wounds from the long and bitter campaign and seek help from his former rivals.
On Thursday, he quietly met with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, his toughest rival for the Democratic nomination and a possible choice for secretary of state.
McCain’s meeting with Obama was less furtive, and aides to both men said no Cabinet post is envisioned for the Arizona senator.
Obama has said he plans to invite at least one Republican to join his Cabinet.
Obama and McCain expressed similar views on several issues during the campaign, such as the dangers of climate change and a need to ease U.S. dependence on fossil fuels.
Aides familiar with Monday’s meeting said the two men spoke of working together on that broad issue, as well as on comprehensive immigration revisions, an effort McCain helped to spearhead in the Senate in 2006. The measure collapsed, and Obama will face difficult decisions on how far to push changes in immigration laws in a Congress dominated by Democrats.
They also discussed the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, which both men have criticized and Obama has vowed to close.
They did not discuss specific legislation, the aides said. But Obama’s incoming chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, and South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close McCain friend and adviser, were expected to discuss a joint legislative effort. Emanuel and Graham participated in the meeting.
After the meeting, the two issued a joint statement saying: “At this defining moment in history, we believe that Americans of all parties want and need their leaders to come together and change the bad habits of Washington so that we can solve the common and urgent challenges of our time.”
A big hit
The campaign is over, but Barack Obama is still a TV hit. CBS’s “60 Minutes” had its highest overnight ratings in nearly a decade Sunday when Steve Kroft interviewed the president-elect and his wife, Michelle. Nielsen Media Research estimates that the show was seen by 24.5 million people.
