President Bush marks Barack Obama's historic election, vows 'complete cooperation'
The president-elect meets with top staffers in Chicago to discuss positions in the new administration.
Reporting from Washington — One day after Democrat Barack Obama was elected the first African American president in U.S. history, President Bush vowed "complete cooperation" with the incoming administration.
"No matter how they cast their ballot, all Americans can be proud of the history that was made yesterday," Bush said today in a statement from the Rose Garden. Noting that Obama's election showcases "the triumph of the American story," Bush said, "This moment is especially uplifting for a generation of Americans who witnessed the struggle for civil rights with their own eyes -- and four decades later see [that] dream fulfilled."
The president also warned potential foes not to take advantage of an 11-week window from the Nov. 4 election to the Obama inauguration on Jan. 20.
"The United States government will stay vigilant in meeting its most important responsibility -- protecting the American people," he said, vowing to "continue to conduct the people's business as long as this office remains in my trust" and to keep President-elect Obama "fully informed on important decisions."
Obama, at home in Chicago after 21 months of almost non-stop campaigning, is meeting with top staffers today to discuss key positions for the transition. Some reports suggest he will ask Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel of Chicago, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus and a senior advisor in the Clinton White House, to be chief of staff in the Obama administration.
MSNBC this morning called Indiana for Obama and Missouri for Republican John McCain.
With North Carolina still too close to call, the Illinois senator has piled up a sweeping victory over Republican rival John McCain, so far winning 349 electoral votes, well above the 270 needed and the most for any president since Bill Clinton got 379 votes in his re-election bid in 1996.
Exit polls conducted by the Associated Press and the major television networks suggested that the economy was the main driver in the Obama win, with 62% of voters calling it their top issue, compared with 10% who put the Iraq War at the top of their list and 9% who listed healthcare or terrorism.
In a rally at Chicago's Grant Park with 100,000 exuberant supporters, Obama said, "If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer."
