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President-elect Obama and Vice President-elect Biden
greeted former rival and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) on Tuesday at a meeting of
the nation’s governors. Palin, who famously accused Obama of “palling around with
terrorists,” was the first governor Obama greeted as he entered the room to
applause. While the two shook hands, it was unclear what was said between them.
Biden was set to single out his former vice presidential
rival as a “partner in progress," but veered off script and instead said
he wanted to thank Palin “particularly.”
“I might point out, as I told you, we walked in. Since
the race is over, no one pays attention to me at all,” Biden joked in his
delivered remarks. “So I’m — maybe you will walk outside with me or something
later and say hello to me.”
Biden said he thinks “the whole country can see the sort
of a metaphor for the fact that this election is over and here we are.”
“We’re all together,” Biden said. “We’re all dealing with
a common problem.”
Even though Obama did not mention Palin by name in his
remarks, he did extend an olive branch to the Republican governors present,
saying that he is offering them “the same hand of friendship and cooperation
that I offer our Democratic governors."
“We have a strong and vibrant democracy,” he added. “We
compete vigorously during an election. But with the end of that season comes
the time to govern together — and that time is now.”
Obama and Biden had traveled to Philadelphia to address
the National Governors Association meeting.
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