Obama, Bush to meet in White House; economy may top agenda

Washington, Nov 10 (PTI) Amid indications that he wants a
review of all executive orders of the previous administration,
President-elect Barack Obama prepared for his first meeting in
the Oval Office Monday with incumbent George W. Bush, as aides
said the slumping U.S. economy is likely to dominate the
talks.

The talks on transition of power, a traditional rite
between the incoming and outgoing U.S. Presidents, will be
approached by him with a "spirit of bipartisanship", Obama,
the first black President of the U.S., had said last week.

Since the election of the 47-year-old, the outgoing Bush
administration and the incoming Obama team have responded with
"exceptional cooperation" to ensure a smooth transition, aides
and experts said.

"I think it was very gracious of President Bush to invite
him (Obama) so early -- usually it happens a little later in
the process... I think because of the daunting challenges that
are facing our country, President Bush thought it was
important to move forward quickly," Valerie Jarrett, one of
the transition team's co-chairs, told reporters.

The talks are likely to cover "a broad range of issues",
but the slumping U.S. economy is expected to dominate the
discussions, John Podesta, the other co-chair, told CNN's
"Late Edition".

He also said Obama will push Congress to enact "at least
part" of an economic package before he takes office in
January.

In another interview to "Fox News Sunday", Podesta said
the incoming administration is conducting an extensive review
of Bush's executive orders, looking for quick changes that
Obama can make from his first day in office.

"As a candidate, Senator Obama said that he wanted all
the Bush executive orders reviewed and decide which ones
should be kept and which ones should be repealed and which
ones should be amended, and that process is going on. It's
been undertaken," Podesta said.

Podesta said Obama's team will be "looking at -- again,
in virtually every agency -- to see where we can move forward,
whether that's on energy transformation, on improving health
care, on stem cell research."

Obama, accompanied by wife Michelle, is expected to
arrive at the White House at 2 pm eastern standard time (0030
IST). After a photo-op, they will have a one-to-one meeting.

First lady Laura Bush will also take Michelle on a tour
of the executive mansion.

Bush, now on his second term, had a similar meeting with
then President Bill Clinton when he was elected to the top
office of the U.S. in 2000. PTI S.D.G.