Bush, Obama, Ex-Presidents To Gather For 'Historic' Luncheon Wednesday

January 7, 2009 5:36 a.m. EST

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - President-elect Barack Obama will be meeting privately with President George W. Bush and all living ex-U.S. presidents on Wednesday, nearly three decades after the last time all former commanders-in-chief gathered together at the White House.

The meeting, which some pundits have called unprecedented, will be a luncheon scheduled for 12:00 pm ET. Former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush will join the president and Obama. A photo-op at the Rose Garden will be held before the talks.

"I think President-Elect Obama originally had the idea for this, but President Bush readily agreed, thought it was a great idea to get everybody together... And so this is a historic moment," White House press secretary Dana Perino said on a Tuesday press briefing.

"Those are private conversations. All of us would love to be flies on the wall and listening," she added. "But these are leaders who only understand what it's like to be in each other's shoes. None of us can put ourselves in their shoes. Their conversation will range from everything from personal experiences here - I'm sure they'll talk a little bit about raising children in the White House, raising children when you're a public figure, and how to protect them. Obviously, the Obamas are doing a great job of that and got their girls off to school yesterday in a good fashion. It looks like they had a good day."

Asked if Bush and Obama will hold a separate meeting, Perino replied, "I think there is time for the President and President-Elect Obama to meet just for a little while prior to the other Presidents arriving."

Bush officially steps down on Jan. 20, when Obama is sworn into office as the 44th president.

The last time all living presidents met at the White House was in 1981.

A similar gathering was held by former presidential chiefs of staff in December at the invitation of Bush's top aide, Josh Bolten. Incoming White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel met with Bolten and still-living former White House chiefs, including Vice President Dick Cheney, who succeeded former Defense Sec. Donald Rumsfeld as the second most powerful man in Washington during the administration of Gerald Ford.

Reagan chiefs Howard Baker and Kenneth Duberstein attended, and so did Clinton top aide John Podesta, who currently serves as co-chairman of Obama's transition team.