Bush greets Obama at the White House

WASHINGTON -- President Bush and President-elect Barack Obama met privately in the Oval office Monday in the first public steps in the transition to a new administration.

The meeting lasted about an hour. It was Obama's first visit to the White House since his election Nov. 4 and his first visit ever to the Oval Office.The soon-to-be commander-in-chief also got his first look at the Situation Room.

Bush and First Lady Laura Bush greeted Obama, and his wife, Michelle, at the South Portico entrance to the White House. The Obamas arrived 11 minutes early.

"Good to see you," the First Lady said. Obama replied, "thank you so much."

Three minutes later, Obama and Bush walked the colonnade that connects the main White House building with the West Wing and Oval Office. The two appeared to be chatting amiably, stopping occasionally to wave at reporters.

The first lady and Michelle Obama toured the residence, with particular emphasis on where the two Obama children will be living when the new president moves in on Jan. 20.

"She got a full view of just how beautiful and magnificent the house is, but also what a home it can be," Anita McBride, the first lady's chief of staff told MSNBC.

""She thought the (children's) rooms were beautiful and would be perfect for her two girls," she added.

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Obama and Bush were meeting in a "tone of cooperation," despite sharp attacks on the president's record during the campaign, said White House spokesperson Dana Perino.

Perino referred to the transition as "critically important," because of the ailing economy and the continuing threat of a terrorist attack.

The traditional get-acquainted ritual follows a long, bitter presidential campaign in which Obama hammered the "failed policies" of the Bush administration.

Beforehand, Perino had dismissed worries that such political attacks might chill their meeting. Bush lets those things "slide off his back" and "just lets those things go."

Bush and Obama have political differences, but are proceeding with a "tone of cooperation" and a "spirit of partnership" when it comes to the overall running of the government, she said. "They both love their country equally," Perino said.