Obama, McCain vow to work closely to change Washington's 'bad habits'

Tuesday 18th November, 06:25 AM JST

CHICAGO —

President-elect Barack Obama and former Republican rival John McCain pledged Monday to work together on ways to change Washington’s “bad habits,” though aides to both men said it was unlikely McCain would serve in an Obama cabinet.

The two men met in Obama’s transition headquarters in Chicago for the first time since the Illinois senator defeated McCain in the presidential election Nov 4. Obama said they wanted to talk about how they could work together, and he added that he would offer his own thanks to McCain for all his service so far.

Obama has said he is likely to invite at least one Republican to join his cabinet, but McCain was not expected to be a candidate. The Arizonan is serving his fourth term in the Senate.

Obama and McCain sat together for a brief picture-taking session with reporters, along with Rahm Emanuel, Obama’s incoming White House chief of staff, and South Carolina Republican Sen Lindsey Graham, McCain’s close friend. Obama and McCain were heard briefly discussing football, and Obama cracked that “the national press is tame compared to the Chicago press.”

When asked if he planned to help the Obama administration, McCain replied, “Obviously.”

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.”

“It is in this spirit that we had a productive conversation today about the need to launch a new era of reform where we take on government waste and bitter partisanship in Washington in order to restore trust in government, and bring back prosperity and opportunity for every hardworking American family,” it said. “We hope to work together in the days and months ahead on critical challenges like solving our financial crisis, creating a new energy economy and protecting our nation’s security.”

Obama and McCain clashed bitterly during the fall campaign over taxes, the Iraq War, and ways to fix the ailing economy. Things got ugly at times, with McCain running ads comparing Obama to celebrities Britney Spears and Paris Hilton and raising questions about his relationship with a 1960s-era radical, William Ayers.

Obama’s campaign, meanwhile, labeled the 72-year-old McCain “erratic” and ran campaign ads deriding his economic views.

However, McCain delivered a gracious concession speech on election night, paying tribute to Obama’s historic ascendancy as the nation’s first black president. The two agreed that night to meet after the election when McCain called Obama to concede defeat.

Emanuel and Graham, who also attended the meeting, have worked together before on issues in Congress, and Graham jumped to Emanuel’s defense when Republicans criticized his appointment as Obama’s chief of staff.

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sailwind at 12:45 PM JST - 18th November

I'm more concerned about the his tone of his politics than I was ever about the "tone" of his skin.

I must be weird or maybe it's my Military background that exposed me to every race creed or color you can think of, and if they outranked me were called "Sir" or "Maam" than I was ever about his race.

As far as I'm concerned his race is American and just happens to be one of African descent and one who's politics I can find no real common ground, it's way to far left for me, and I don't think it's right for the country.

I'm glad we elected an African American President....But did it happen to be THIS one?
powderfinger at 01:18 PM JST - 18th November

Zogby Poll

"512 Obama Voters 11/13/08-11/15/08

97.1% High School Graduate or higher, 55% College Graduates

12 Multiple Choice Questions

*57.4% could NOT correctly say which party controls congress (50/50 shot just by guessing) * 81.8% could NOT correctly say Joe Biden quit a previous campaign because of plagiarism (25% chance by guessing)

82.6% could NOT correctly say that Barack Obama won his first election by getting opponents kicked off the ballot (25% chance by guessing)

88.4% could NOT correctly say that Obama said his policies would likely bankrupt the coal industry and make energy rates skyrocket (25% chance by guessing)

56.1% could NOT correctly say Obama started his political career at the home of two former members of the Weather Underground (25% chance by guessing).

And yet.....

Only 13.7% failed to identify Sarah Palin as the person on which their party spent $150,000 in clothes

Only 6.2% failed to identify Palin as the one with a pregnant teenage daughter

And 86.9 % thought that Palin said that she could see Russia from her "house," even though it was Tina Fey who said this."

http://www.howobamagotelected.com/
Sarge at 01:40 PM JST - 18th November

sailwind - "I'm glad we elected an African-American President....But did it happen to be THIS one?"

You mean, "Did it have to be this one?"

From the article: "President-elect Barack Obama"

This is a joke, right?
RomeoRamenII at 02:41 PM JST - 18th November

While Sen. McCain will keep his promise to work for the good of the country, obama has a history of not keeping his promises.
Nessie at 02:53 PM JST - 18th November

While Sen. McCain will keep his promise to work for the good of the country, obama has a history of not keeping his promises.

Typo there, RR. You forgot "club" after "country."
Sarge at 03:19 PM JST - 18th November

Nessie - You forgot to check McCain's history of serving his country. No country clubs involved.
Noripinhead at 04:54 PM JST - 18th November

So now everybody on the board can be happy--McCain as a top advisor, Hillary as Secretary of State, and Sarah Palin as the White House Tiny Fey impersonator. It's like "The Brady Bunch" reunion. Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!
SezWho2 at 10:08 PM JST - 18th November

skipthesong,

I didn't say that Obama's opponents mockingly elevated him to an exalted position because of race. However, I certainly do think that it is as simple as a matter of race that many people took such pains to twist his policies and twist his associations and speculate on the policies that those associations would bring.
Betzee at 10:08 PM JST - 18th November

Zogby Poll "512 Obama Voters 11/13/08-11/15/08

Is there any evidence that the McCain/Palin supporters were more informed?

A woman in one of Palin’s crowds praised her for being “a mom like me … who thinks the way I do” and added, for ill measure, “That’s what I want in the White House.” Fine, but in what capacity?

Do this lady’s like-minded folk wonder how, say, Jefferson, Lincoln, the Roosevelts, et al (add your own favorites) managed so well without being soccer moms? Without being whizzes in the kitchen, whipping up moose soufflés? Without executing and wounding wolves from the air and without promoting that sad, threadbare hoax — sexual abstinence — as the answer to the sizzling loins of the young?

Would any of this be a problem for you if your guy had won?
SezWho2 at 10:11 PM JST - 18th November

Nippon5,

You're right about the word, of course. But when you use it without making it clear that you intend it in a secular context, you can hardly fault anyone for construing it in the sense that it is most often heard. As far as people claiming that Obama will do this and end that, I don't hear any more of that kind of talk than I hear of Bush having brought freedom to two countries and made America safe. I'd say that extremists are fairly evenly distributed.
sailwind at 10:24 PM JST - 18th November

Is there any evidence that the McCain/Palin supporters were more informed?

McCain was primary in the post you responded to. You ignored that and went to smear Palin....again.

What a shocker on your part.
Betzee at 10:24 PM JST - 18th November

SezWho,

I agree. I've never heard anyone claim "Obama is going to solve world hunger" or solve the litany of other problems which have proved intractable. These are strawmen which take on a life of their own in cyberspace.

I found it significant in his Grant Park victory speech, he asked for God's blessing, he didn't invoke it.
Betzee at 10:34 PM JST - 18th November

Sailwind,

It seemed odd someone would commission a poll on level of knowledge of Obama supporters without a comparable look at McCain supporters. One without the other is simply a partisan exercise, sort of like a privately arranged polygraph test in which the results can be buried if they don't demonstrate what you want, and I'm entitled to respond to that.

Notice you didn't respond to any substantive issues and simply launched an attack on me for raising them, what a surprise!

Moderator: Readers, please stay on topic.
ca1ic0cat at 03:15 AM JST - 19th November

I wish them luck. I think Washington's bad habits are bigger and better entrenched than both of them put together.
goodDonkey at 07:39 PM JST - 19th November

Sarge referenced:

sailwind - "I'm glad we elected an African-American President....But did it happen to be THIS one?"

Sarge said:

You mean, "Did it have to be this one?"

Sarge, that was the denial slipping out. He hasn't fully accepted that Obama is the President Elect. He is asking if Obama is really president. He is calling out. That is a good sign.

Once again I have to commend McCain for his humility. The way our country has worked for some time is that the opposition party becomes the watchdog when they are out of power. I am very interested in hearing McCain's views about the automobile corporations bailout plans. I am very worried about big business being in the pocket of the Republicans. I think if we were able to get away from patronage to special interest groups we would end up with better legislation. I don't see that happening. I believe Obama took less money from special interest groups than any other presidential candidate for a long time. Having said that Democrats and Republicans are accepting massive funds from such groups. With the cost of campaigns there is not a lot of choice. That is especially true of congressional campaigns. The last thing I want to hear is that candidates should use their own money. Then only the rich would winning. Money is a necessity to get the message out.

I think that McCain efforts would be better invested in going after pork barrel spending than campaign finance reform (for now at least). But people need to understand not all earmarks are pure pork. We need continuing efforts for our highways. We need to advance our efforts in pure science and that takes a continuing monetary commitment. There are other worthy causes but so much money is wasted. I would love to hear McCain admit that some earmarks are good for our country. Then I would love to see him head up an effort to expose the billions of dollars that are going to waste.