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Presidential Ritual Covers Vital Matters

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The Associated Press

Published: November 11, 2008

WASHINGTON - All smiles and compliments, President-elect Obama and his wife, Michelle, called on President Bush and first lady Laura Bush in a White House visit Monday that was part political ritual, part practical introduction and a striking symbol of the historic transfer of power to come.

The president and Obama talked war and financial crisis. Laura Bush and Michelle Obama talked about raising daughters in the nation's most famous house.

Then Obama flew back to Chicago to work on setting up the new administration that will take over on Jan. 20.
Michelle Obama went out hunting for a new school for the kids, visiting two of the capital city's best-known private schools.

If first impressions matter, Obama and his wife displayed one similarity to the super-punctual Bushes, pulling up to the White House's South Portico 11 minutes early. The couples traded warm and easy greetings in the crisp autumn sunshine, with the wives exchanging pleasantries about the fall hues each wore - Laura Bush in a brown dress and Michelle Obama in a red one.

While Obama and Bush, in business suits, proceeded waving and smiling down the White House Colonnade for nearly two hours of private talks, their wives had their own agenda: talk of raising children in most unusual circumstances. Laura Bush conducted a tour of the living quarters of the historic mansion and made introductions to the army of residence staff who look after first families.
Michelle Obama had toured the White House before with daughters Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7. But the two women had never met.

The 43rd president and the man who will be the 44th - and first black - commander in chief met alone in the Oval Office, with no handlers or staff. It was Obama's first time in the storied workspace, even though he had been to the White House previously for events.

Neither the Bushes nor the Obamas spoke to reporters, and details about their meetings were few.

The president and president-elect talked about an automotive industry now in deep crisis, mortgages and the prospect of a second economic stimulus package, according to two officials familiar with their conversation. The officials wanted anonymity so they could speak candidly about a private conversation.

White House press secretary Dana Perino said that Bush described the meeting as "constructive, relaxed and friendly."

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