Barack Obama and John McCain meet for the first time since The Thrashing

John McCain will meet privately with Barack Obama at his transition headquarters in Chicago today.

Our forecast for the Windy City: icy on the inside.

Presidential elections are rarely friendly, but in this one, McCain seemed to harbor a particularly strong disdain for his rival.

Remember the first presidential debate, when McCain refused to look at Obama?

Or the second debate, when the Arizona senator raised some eyebrows for referring to his opponent as "that one?"

Even in his otherwise-eloquent concession speech, McCain was dismissive of Obama. He lauded Obama's win as a historical milestone, but said little of his character.

At today's session, the pair will be joined by their attack dogs -- err, aides -- Congressman Rahm Emanuel (Obama's newly anointed chief of staff) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (McCain's close friend and campaign surrogate).

Oh, to be a fly on the wall . . .

-- Kate Linthicum

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Photo credit: Barack Obama and John McCain at the Town Hall Presidential Debate at Belmont University's Curb Event Center on Oct. 7. (Anthony Jacobs / Getty Images)

Comments

[SHERRY]

Now lets put our heads together and put togehter a nd create a plan to make America energy independent, you both talked about this so much during the canpagin,. I think we best be getting on with the promise of making America energy independent.Iran just asked OPEC to reduce production by yet another 1.5 million barrels per day.This past year and the record gas prices played a huge part in our economic meltdown and seriously damaged our society.We keep planning to spend BILLIONS on bailouts and stimulus plans.Bail us out of our dependence on foreign oil. Make electric plug in car technology more affordable. It cost the equivalent of 60 cents a gallon to drive an electric plug in car. The electric could be generated from wind or solar. Get with it! Utilize free sources such as wind and solar. Jeff Wilson's new book The Manhattan Project of 2009 Energy Independence NOW outlines a plan for America to wean itself off oil. We need a plan and we need it now! www.themanhattanprojectof2009.com

[independantJoe]

I have heard it said that politics makes strange bedfellows. Perhaps 'these two' really will forge some agreement 'for the good of this country'. Now that would be a change I can believe in.

[Davepullin]

McCain wasn't thrashed! He was beaten but not thrashed - nearly half the voters thought he'd make a good president.

If this country is going to be mended, we have to stop the 51% beating up the 49%, and start figuring out how if we live together. If Obama can bridge the gap to McCain, more power to him. I did not vote for McCain but Senator McCain, as opposed to presidential-candidate-McCain, seemed like a good man.

[Alexander Scheirer]

Why don't you just give it up. Although I'm an unaffiliated voter and did vote for Obama (with great reservation), I must comment why are you still flogging the Obama/McCain election????? LA Times is being a gossip sheet like the Star?? Why not write about the obscene wealth evident throughout Hollywood vis a vis the people who are barely scraping by and are either losing or at the risk of losing their homes? Incidently, the last time I was in LA, I was quite taken aback at the number of homeless people on the street...throughout the city (except of course, those neighborhoods patrolled by well armed private security patrols. Why don't you write about that??? I think there are more timely and relevant topics to write about other than who thrashed who. Let's just hope (and perhaps pray) that Obama is up to the job.

[Tony]

Kate,
Your an idiot.
How can you even call yourself a journalist with such one-sided babble?
Is there any reason to keep up this typical, hate-mongoring liberal media practice? You guys already BOUGHT the election! Its over! What reason is there to keep pressing?
I know most of you ignorant, blind-following Obamites have nothing better to do now that your boy is in office, but the reality is you will HAVE to find something else to do. Not neccesarily a "Job" since he is going to give you non-working people our tax money in the form of free welfare and free health care. And by "Free" i mean that working people like MYSELF get to pay for it.

So relax would you? Take a break. you guys elected your little terrorist as your president. No need to clog the media with this kind of GARBAGE anymore.

[mc]

What thrashing? 1/2 the country didn't vote for him.

[Scott C. Worden]

I'm happy that Obama won but I would love for once if an LA TImes writer could be a little less biased and look at both sides of an issue. I tend to disagree with your assertion that their meeting will be icy. They tend to respect each other and I think it will be a friendly meeting. Also to call the election a "thrashing" is classless and also inaccurate. By electoral votes Obama ran away with it but my popular votes it was still 52%-46%. Not close but definitely not a thrashing. Let's be fair LA Times writers.

[KT]

Interesting politics is. Drag each others credibility through the mud, then sit down afterwards and offer each other jobs. I suppose beneath all the campaigning nonsense, their is a hugely positive element, with large amounts of respect for each other and are really just Americans just wanting to get on with it.