This was two weeks before the country’s transfer of power from Bush to Obama. Bush, a Republican, and Obama, a Democrat, met privately for about 30 minutes ahead of the wider gathering. Then former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, both Democrats, and Republican George H.W. Bush, the current president’s father, met Bush and Obama in the Oval Office for a photo session with journalists. It was the first such gathering of former U.S. heads of state at the White House in 27 years. “I want to thank the president-elect for joining the ex-presidents for lunch,” the younger Bush told Obama, who stood next to him, nodding. “One message that I have and I think we all share is that we want you to succeed. Whether we’re Democrat or Republican, we care deeply about this country,” Bush said.