What did they eat? What were they wearing?

Just kidding. Well, this is sorta non-news. Lots of buildup, and then....they pledge bi-partisanship and cooperation and reform. Wowie zowie.

Rahm held Lindsey back while Obama made McCain, quote-"kiss my black ass"-unquote.

Yeah. This'll work until the chowder-headed GOP launches it's first angry filibuster on the very first Obama led bill coming out of caucus. They'll make "obstructionist" into an active verb. Given the spin I've seen as to why the GOP/Conservative Party feels they lost this election, it was because they were too nice. Let the games begin...

At this defining moment in history, we believe that Americans of all parties want and need their leaders to come together and change the bad habits of Washington so that we can solve the common and urgent challenges of our time.

Just like how I object to how "partisanship" gets thrown out in equal measure with both parties, so I object to the "bad habits of Washington" being thrown out that way -- the Democrats' bad habit was capitulating to a deeply ideological, hyperpartisan Republican Party over the last eight years. And the GOP's bad habit was, of course, being deeply ideological and hyperpartisan.

So, are we to believe that the Republicans aren't going to be hyperpartisan and the Democrats aren't going to be ceaselessly accommodating to them? Until that happens, the "bad habits" are going to keep plaguing Washington.

McCain and Graham are not honest brokers for reform, so sorry. And with a GOP that seems hell-bent on being more partisan and reactionary, not less, then it stands to reason that the only room for change and progress is for the Democrats to not back down and enable the Republicans to continue to mangle our country.

Much of McCain's 'maverick' image was burnished after he came after the Bush adminsitration in the President's first term. McCain has always stood apart from the party a bit - or whenever it suited him really- but after Bush and Rove smeared him and made it personal in 2000 he went after them to be the biggest thorn in the new adminstration's side as possible. I suppose there could be some argument that he was standing on principle but it looks more like getting even....

So it is extremely smart of Obama - especailly since this was really McCain's last shot and knowing that McCain is a petulant opportunist- to call a truce and try to bring him around to Obama's side. At least mitigate some of the damage McCain could do to his administration without looking like a total douchebag after Obama offered an olive branch.

This is smart politics and the kind of decency I want to see from our President.

They probably spent the whole meeting crafting that statement. Then they had lunch and called it a day.

The 110th Congress had 2.5 times the previous highest number of filibusters in history. I expect the 111th to double that. McCain isn't going to do a thing to stop it.

I think they really only had one almost-Filibuster where Reid broke out the cots and then gave up the next morning. The rest were threats to filibuster where the Democrats backed down without forcing the Republicans to actually filibuster.

I'd love to see an honest-to-god-Mr.-Smith-Goes-to-Washington type filibuster instead of this namby-pamby "cloture vote" stuff. Yee-ha!

I'm betting Obama made McCain an offer to be part of his administration.

Not Sec of Defense (shiver). But maybe Vets' Affairs? Or, if not a cabinet position, the head of some special task force (campaign finance reform seems a tad too ironic, but some issue McCain expressed bipartisan passion in solving).

A win-win if he accepts: McCain salvages the shreds of his reputation, he earns his "maverick" sobriquet, and Obama neutralizes another potential enemy to his administration.

(Though, I'm guessing McCain said "No thanks. I'd rather stay bitter.")

"I'm betting Obama made McCain an offer to be part of his administration." -- Juliebird

Probably "Janitor"

by all means, gracefully invite the defeated enemies to rejoin the human race, but first make the criminals amongst them pay for their lies, robbery, subversion of the constitution, illegal surveillence of citizens, wars of aggression, destruction of the economy, etc. Obama won the primaries by pretending to be a progressive and has been moving right ever since. There will always be arguments for compromise and comity, but first put the criminals on trial.