Keeping your friends close and your enemies even closer (rivals).
President-Elect Obama invited Senator John McCain (R-AZ) to his transition team’s headquarters in Illinois today to clear the air and move forward. In what began as a clearly awkward meeting, Obama’s official Change.gov website released the following statement:
“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,” President-elect Obama and Senator McCain said in a joint statement released after the meeting. “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.”
In order for Obama to be successful to any degree in his upcoming term, he must develop relationships with prominent officials on both sides of the political spectrum. So far, Obama is doing just that. He wants to run a bi-partisan administration which promotes inter-connectedness and cooperation amongst both Republicans and Democrats. Obama wants and needs to create a government not dialed back by party differences, but a government that works together with one common goal – working for the benefit of the American people and for the American nation.
This meeting that Obama called for with McCain is the first step towards mending any woes that were created during the long Presidential campaign.
In order for Obama to see any level of success, he needs to reach out to his opponent and attain a common ground. Senator McCain has vast knowledge in areas of energy, military, and varying views on economic policy, among many other areas of expertise. By working with McCain, Obama will likely gain the support of McCain advocates, and see easier results in working with the Senate and Congress.
Many have begun speculating that McCain may find himself with a seat in Obama’s administration, specifically a cabinet-level position. Realistically, this is looking less like a reality. But McCain will more than likely play a large role in the Obama administration, offering his input on various issues and lending his Congressional pull.
President-Elect Obama has made many relationships in the Senate as a Senator for the State of Illinois the past few years. He will need to utilize these friendships to create a government that can bring about the drastic changes he has proposed and the changes that this country needs. Obama has walked into a pile of problems, both economically and politically, that need to be fixed. And he has his work cut out for him.
Easing the tensions between his campaign rival McCain will certainly help.
Below is the press video released of the two’s initial meeting and praiseful remarks.
Popularity: 4%
