Obama and Bill Clinton Talk By Jeffe Zeleny
Senator Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton shared a 20-minute conversation on Monday, their first talk since the combative Democratic presidential primary season ended nearly a month ago.
As Mr. Obama arrived here for a campaign stop, he reached Mr. Clinton by telephone. The two men covered a variety of issues, aides to both said, including how Mr. Clinton could help in the fall campaign.
"Senator Obama asked him to campaign with and for him in the fall," said Robert Gibbs, the communications director for Mr. Obama. "I believe the president is excited to do it."
The discussion with Mr. Clinton was a central piece of unfinished business for Mr. Obama after his long primary fight with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.
While the two senators have spoken several times, and appeared publicly together last Friday at a rally in Unity, N.H., Mr. Obama had yet to clear the air with Mr. Clinton after a series of tense public exchanges throughout the primary campaign. Many of those exchanges between the two men, and their surrogates, were rooted in race, others in the record of the Clinton administration.
Mr. Obama has told his advisers that he is eager to bury any animosity and seek advice from Mr. Clinton. He is expected to have dinner or a meeting with him, most likely on the former president’s turf, aides said, though nothing has yet been scheduled. On Monday they also discussed making a public appearance together in July.
The call was announced in separate statements issued by the offices of Mr. Obama and Mr. Clinton.
As Mr. Obama arrived here for a campaign stop, he reached Mr. Clinton by telephone. The two men covered a variety of issues, aides to both said, including how Mr. Clinton could help in the fall campaign.
"Senator Obama asked him to campaign with and for him in the fall," said Robert Gibbs, the communications director for Mr. Obama. "I believe the president is excited to do it."
The discussion with Mr. Clinton was a central piece of unfinished business for Mr. Obama after his long primary fight with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.
While the two senators have spoken several times, and appeared publicly together last Friday at a rally in Unity, N.H., Mr. Obama had yet to clear the air with Mr. Clinton after a series of tense public exchanges throughout the primary campaign. Many of those exchanges between the two men, and their surrogates, were rooted in race, others in the record of the Clinton administration.
Mr. Obama has told his advisers that he is eager to bury any animosity and seek advice from Mr. Clinton. He is expected to have dinner or a meeting with him, most likely on the former president’s turf, aides said, though nothing has yet been scheduled. On Monday they also discussed making a public appearance together in July.
The call was announced in separate statements issued by the offices of Mr. Obama and Mr. Clinton.
