Obama White House Visit

President Bush will welcome Barack Obama to the White House this afternoon, the first time they have met face to face since before the November 4 election. The meeting breaks with tradition. Most president elects don’t get to tour the executive mansion for some weeks after their victory, but, as the Voice of America reports, this time the timetable has been sped up “because this is the first transition in four decades to occur at a time when the United States is at war. It is also taking place in the midst of an economic crisis that demands immediate attention.” To avoid further mayhem in the market, “President Bush and President-elect Obama are going out of their way to stress their willingness to cooperate during the transition period.” For that reason, to avoid sending mixed signals Obama will not attend the November summit in Washington of leaders to coordinate policies to calm the nervous world economy.