WASHINGTON — Three former presidents, the current one and the future one gathered Wednesday for a rare White House meeting of what may be the nation’s most exclusive fraternity.
No future meeting was set, but Robert Gibbs, a spokesman for President-elect Barack Obama, said his boss came away “anxious to stay in touch with all of them in the coming years.”
The lunch meeting of Obama, President George W. Bush and ex-Presidents Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter was convened by the current president at Obama’s request.
Before the historic lunch gathering, Bush and Obama had a 30-minute, one-on-one session.
The five presidents held a brief Oval Office photo opportunity before eating in the private dining room just outside the office.
“One message I have, and I think we all share, is that we want you to succeed,” the current President Bush told Obama. “Whether we’re a Democrat or Republican, we care deeply about this country. And, to the extent we can, we look forward to sharing our experiences with you. All of us who have served in this office understand that the office transcends the individual. We wish you the very best and so does the country.”
Obama thanked Bush for hosting the event.
“This is an extraordinary gathering. All of the gentlemen here understand both the pressures and possibilities of this office,” he said. “And for me to have the opportunity to get advice, good counsel and fellowship with these individuals is extraordinary. And I’m very grateful to all of them.”
By tradition and practice, what presidents and ex-presidents say to one another remains closely held.
“Each of them expressed their desire for President-elect Obama to have a very successful presidency,” said White House press secretary Dana Perino.
The gathering marked the first time since Oct. 8, 1981 — when then-President Ronald Reagan and ex-presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Carter gathered in advance of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat’s funeral — that all living U.S. presidents met at the White House.
Also Wednesday, the White House announced the Bushes’ plans for Jan. 20, the day Obama takes office and Bush joins the ex-presidents club. Perino said Bush and wife Laura, joined by some of their longtime Texas friends, will fly from Washington to Midland — their childhood home — for a welcome-home event at the city’s Centennial Plaza. They will then head to the Bush ranch in Crawford for a few days.
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