Bill and Barack Buddy Up Over Lunch

Relations have improved between president, ex-president
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 15, 2009 8:41 AM CDT
Bill and Barack Buddy Up Over Lunch
Barack Obama walks with Bill Clinton after having lunch at Il Mulino, a Greenwich Village restaurant in New York, Monday, Sept. 14, 2009, following Obama's speech on Wall Street.   (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Rapping knuckles on Wall Street is hard work, so when Barack Obama finished yesterday, he hopped over to Greenwich Village to grab a bite with Bill Clinton, reports the Washington Post. On the menu? "Fish, pasta and salad," said Clinton. "Even I was healthy." And up for discussion? The economy, and health care—in the latest sign that relations have warmed between the president and his Democratic predecessor.

The two were archenemies on the campaign trail, but these days Obama and Clinton meet almost regularly. They caught up at Walter Cronkite’s funeral last week, and a few weeks earlier Clinton came to Pennsylvania Avenue to report on his North Korea mission. Next week, Obama will speak at a Clinton Global Initiative meeting. The pair have “a very strong relationship,” says Robert Gibbs, adding that they “split the bill” at lunch. (More Barack Obama stories.)

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