No, it wasn't a gathering to mourn the recent death of the First Cat, but rather just a meeting of the minds when the four living presidents were invited to lunch by the president to be. President Bush said he was happy to give a holler to former Presidents Clinton, Carter and Bush 41 (his father). It was the first time all of the living presidents had gathered at the White House since the funeral of assassinated Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat in 1981.
As always when the former presidents get together, there was some serious bromance in the air. President Bush welcomed in President-elect Obama by saying, "We want you to succeed. Whether we're a Democrat or a Republican, we care deeply about this country. To the extent we can, we look forward to sharing our experiences with you. All of us who have served in this office understand the office itself transcends the individual. We wish you all the very best and so does the country."
Media on hand naturally compared the group to the most elite of fraternities. One of the few interactions overheard between the presidents was President Clinton getting reacquainted with his old digs and telling Bush 43, "I love this rug."
As the current President Bush prepares to march into the sunset, he can now only hope that he will rejoin the other former commander-in-chiefs if he's lucky enough to be struck by lightning at a celebrity golf tournament.
Commenters, photo caption away.
