A real power lunch
Talk about wishing you could be a fly on the wall.Today at the White House, President Bush will host a luncheon for what many call "the world's most exclusive club." The president will welcome President-elect Barack Obama to dine with him and and three former presidents: Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter.
How incredible would it be to sit in on it? Five men, who have set the course for our nation for most of the past three decades.
All have witnessed history and made it.
Who can forget that moment on the White House lawn when Carter grasped the hands of the leaders of Egypt and Israel, moments after the mortal enemies signed the Camp David Accords.
The first president Bush may have been the most decent man ever to have held the office. His prudent management of free world’s response to the fall of the Berlin wall and his skillful rallying of the world in the face of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait deserve the nation’s gratitude.
Bill Clinton deserves credit for working across the aisle to reform welfare, and bring the federal budget into balance.
Now it is Obama's turn to take the reigns of power. He's already made history in winning the White House.
Hopefully, he learned a lesson or two on how to lead a nation and the world through troubled times. Obama told reporters before the meeting that they all understood the "pressures and possibilities of this office." A spokesman for the President-elect says there was some "helpful advice on managing the office," and some "thoughts on the critical issues facing the country."
The current office-holder wished Obama well during an Oval Office photo-op before the luncheon. He said they all wanted Obama to succeed -- no matter their political affiliation. Bush said, "The office itself transcends the individual."
He added, "We wish you all the very best, and so does the country."
Indeed we do.
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on 01/07 at 05:04 PM
