McCain meets Obama, gets no job offer, which he probably didn't want anyway

Well, we know John McCain is unlikely to be named Barack Obama's White House chief of staff since Rahm Emanuel is already there, talking nice and cutting throats in true Chicago style.

But the meeting of the recent rivals in the Windy City did seem to go well today, at least in public. Which is what really matters in all this symbolic hoo-haa of a new administration's formation.

This meeting was briefly public, very public, with a trio of U.S. flags to prove it in Obama's downtown Chicago transition office. As opposed to the president-elect's more recent secretive meetings with Hillary Clinton and Bill Richardson as he seeks under the guidance of John Podesta to rebuild the Clinton administration as part of all the promised Obama change to believe in.

Both former Obama rivals are rumored to be candidates for secretary of State. (We've not yet heard what post Madeline Albright could get.)

Asked during a photo op on the 38th floor of a downtown federal skyscraper in the city that invented skyscrapers if he was willing to help make the new Democrat administration a success, McCain replied, "Obviously."

Obama said the talk was more about a bid to "fix up the country" and thanking McCain for his long "outstanding service" to the nation, which could have been done on the telephone but no TV footage for the 24-hour news cycle out of that. (See video report on the meeting by clicking on the "Read more" line below.)

No aides on either side think the Arizona senator will join an Obama administration.

Even with the enlarged Democratic Senate majority and smiling Harry Reid attempting to herd them, Obama is gonna need some Republican help with his ambitious program there. And who better to work with than the ex-Republican presidential candidate untrusted and abandoned by so many of his own party's base?

As Karl Rove pointed out in his Wall Street Journal column last week, 4.1 million fewer Republicans bothered to vote for their party's presidential candidate Nov. 4 than in 2004, 2.7 million fewer veterans (even for a fellow vet) and 4.1 million fewer regular church-goers.

Even in Ohio, without which Republicans do not win the White House, Obama got 32,000 less votes than John Kerry did in 2004. But McCain did worse, getting 360,000 fewer Republican votes there than George W. Bush, thus losing the crucial state by a decisive 206,000 ballots.

Such internal numbers have quietly and quickly created a GOP cadre of believers that the Nov. 4 results were less an Obama win, despite his modest but cumulatively decisive gains in numerous voter sectors, and more a McCain loss among true GOP believers. They switched sides this time or, worse, stayed home, despite the initially explosively successful gesture toward conservatives of picking Sarah Palin as his VP.

Obama may seek McCain's help on such issues as global warming, where they differ marginally, and with an economic stimulus package, which many Republican legislators are resisting.

However, McCain's stumbling attempts at influencing fellow GOP congressional members during the first stimulus package flap would not augur well.

In a joint statement afterward the two men said: "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.

"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." (To view the video, click on the "Read more" line below.)

(UPDATE: Obama left his transition headquarters in Chicago's Loop at 5:46 p.m. and arrived at his Hyde Park home at 6:02. Sixteen minutes from downtown to Hyde Park at rush hour. It's good to be king.)

-- Andrew Malcolm 

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Photo credit: John Gress / Reuters

Comments

[Chirs Ripley]

Seems like we should avoid publishing times when the president-elect is traveling.

(These travel times were published hours after the travel was completed.)

[Sophie]

McCain wouldn't look at Obama during the debates - he's looking at him now! What a difference a few days make!

[Chiron613]

Chicago-style politics is vicious? Please. Washington politics makes our guys look like Mother Teresa.

(Au contraire. Don't you remember Roman Pucinski? The machine sent him off to Washington for a little seasoning in the minors and then after a few terms called him up to the big leagues of City Council for his real career.)

[Fred]

My Bible, ( which I am clinging to ) tells me to pray for my leaders so I will...with the understanding that I will mention MY COUNTRY 5 to 1 as to this "leader."

I NEVER thought I would see the day that some MARXIST racist eletist mt suit got elected here. On your heads be it.

Yes I have a gun too. By the way I have a right to have it since I hear so much about the rights of others...

All the rest of that balderdash he said is simply that. BALDERDASH.

[Dusty White]

It's good to be KING? What kind of right-wing slanderous poison attack is that? You should be stripped of your post and sent to work at FOX. The whole article had a politely snarky tone to it. Where is the fair and open-minded reporting of the simple facts (McCan met with Obama) sans the spite-filled bile you are passing off as journalism. And the most important piece of information you could leave us with was a time-schedule of our next president. Are you planning something nefarious? Is this some secret code you are sending to your HJ affiliates? Your article is flawed and I should hope you do not get paid too highly for spreading such hate.

[saint peter ii]

okay as it becomes more clear that the change obama was talking about was a change back to the politics of the clintons, it still remains to be seen what if anything obama intends to do about the downsizing of civil liberties enacted by the Oily One. obama has yet to mention the sad state of civil liberties. how can this be? as a person who marched for civil liberties in the early 60's i am profoundly disappointed in obama, but then we must remember obama is a creature of the same political gang that knee capped Dr King when he took the civil rights movement to chicago. misters drip & drop, anchors of The 6:01 News discuss the behavioral implications of obama's behavior and are unable to say more than at least he isn't geo w. . obama has a great deal to say about those folks who are starting to have a hard time economically in this country, but nothing to say about those folks who have always have a hard time, what's up with that? obama has to date raised more questions than he's answered, but no one can say that's a change. http://www.saintpeterii.com

[Blue Dog Democrat]

If what has been reported that MORE republican voters stayed home, rather than vote for Sen McCain is true: I say TOO BAD FOR YOU! If you don't like McCain, then you must really not like the President-Elect. The next two years will tell if President Elect BARRACK HUESSIN OBAMA can restore hope and get thing's turned around in this country. I think the "tin foil hat" Republicans are waiting for the rapture and the second coming of Ronald Regan before they will have someone they can support!

[nope]

If you are going to use italics, at least use the proper word. It's especially bad when you use the right word in the next sentence.

[Mary]

Both the President-Elect and the author of this article seem to think it's OK to say "gonna." Obama is the first decent orator we've had since Kennedy, but his credibility is definitely in question (in my mind, anyway) every time he says "gonna" instead of "going to." Even radio and TV people have slipped into it. I haven't seen it in print until now. It's distressing!

[Sally]

I wish people will see the heart of President Obama and not judge him by his skin color or the party he is heading. He is a man of God and man who believes in the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman. He has character and exemplifies that of Christ

[peter king]

McCain you are the World biggest Kiss Arse.

Wigg ER John your private suite at the Hanoi Hilton is waiting for you